PhillipsWatch

Archive: The presses roll, and the carnage continues…

2011-07-18T10:54:00.003-04:00

The following was written by Jim Phillips, PursuitWatch.org's founder, and posted on 10/10/03

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They are the ultimate reality program, life and death, live and in living color. The Police Pursuit-from COPS to The Scariest Police Chases to live broadcasts- a heart thumping, adrenaline pumping high-stakes game of cat and mouse where the loser, or innocents, may pay the supreme price. In many American cities beepers sound to warn of a pursuit in progress. The voyeuristic thrill of the chase is addictive and America cannot get enough.

What is ignored by the public, as well as the breathless reporters hanging from the doors of helicopters or ex-cop narrators spouting endless streams of law and order cliches is that the drama being played out before them is deadly serious. Hundreds of people die, thousands of people are injured and millions, upon millions, of dollars worth of property damage occur, and liability insurance rates soar for police departments.

Not only are police pursuits controversial entertainment they are a hot topic in the law enforcement community, among insurance underwriters, in municipal governments and state legislatures and are of more than passing interest to most news organizations.

News in our times has evolved into a "short attention span" endeavor. Sadly it is dominated by television and the sound bite. Such may always be the practice of television-for them time is truly money.

The great advantage of print over any other news medium is the ability to examine a story and related issues in depth. There is no time limit. The ability to hold your audience is limited only by the reporter's talent. Why have many newspapers thrown this advantage out the window? Lack of talented reporters? Avoidance of controversy? Lowest common denominator? Whatever the reason, the public is not being served well. Many newspapers have abrogated their traditional, and constitutionally protected, role as part of the balance of power. The fourth estate, in many newspaper markets, is becoming nothing more than an advertising medium, dominated by multimedia conglomerates, committed to becoming evermore "snappy" and "flashy." Sound bites in print, if you will. Few reporters dig, seek, or offer more than superficial knowledge about the subjects they write about, or are prevented from doing so by their editors.

Part of what I do in my campaign for safer and smarter pursuits is to monitor local news for pursuit related stories on a nationwide basis. Daily I come across pursuit incidents that appear to be needless or reckless, or where senseless fatalities occur and I email the reporters and their editors encouraging them dig deeper into the story. With few exceptions no follow-up is done. The presses roll and the carnage continues…

Archive: Pursuit Policy is more than just pursuit policy

2011-07-11T14:31:00.001-04:00

A well researched, well-written and well thought-out pursuit policy is not worth the paper it is written on if it ends there. Just as much thought and research should go into the training process, tracking and review. All four of these areas are critical to good pursuit policy:

Policy is the foundation
Training in pursuit policy, decision-making, tactics and driving.
Tracking-thorough data collection allows departments to identify policy weaknesses, training deficiencies and trends that are critical to successful implementation and refinement of policy/training.
Review-allows for accountability.

To have an effective policy each of these four areas must be addressed and weakness in any of them compromises a successful policy. The most difficult aspect of pursuit policy is the continued attention to the first four areas and an ongoing departmental commitment to smarter and safer pursuits.

Tampa Tribune: Deadly chase was judgement call

2011-07-06T12:26:00.003-04:00

Over the Fourth of July weekend, Hernando County Sheriff's Office Deputy John Mecklenburg died during a police pursuit. The chase also caused minor injuries to another deputy. Howard Altman of the Tampa Tribune offered an interesting article on the events that took place and HCSO's pursuit policy.

According to Altman, Hernando County's pursuit policy says "pursuits should be aimed at 'violent felony offenders only'." The pursuit that killed Deputy Mecklenburg was due to the suspect driving the wrong way, which certainly doesn't meet the "violent felony offenders only" barrier. Officials noted an investigation is ongoing.

From the article:

Driving the wrong way on a one-way street isn't a reason to give chase, but what happened next seems to be, said Jon Shane, who teaches at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

The initial reports about the chase seem to "justify continued pursuit, especially after a deputy was injured," Shane said. "The person they are pursuing is the one who dictates the pursuit."

This doesn't make sense. If driving the wrong way doesn't justify a pursuit, then it should never get to the point to where an officer can be injured. Using the events that happen once a pursuit is continued to justify the pursuit enables all pursuits to be justified. In other words, "We can only pursue dangerous people, and even though the suspect only had a broken taillight once he fled he became one of those dangerous people."

John Phillips has a different take. On Dec. 13, 2001, his 20-year-old sister, Sarah, was killed during a pursuit by Orange County deputies. His family started the website PursuitWatch in March 2003 to get law enforcement to chase only people thought to have committed a violent crime.

"Any other offense is not worth the risk to the innocent public and law enforcement," Phillips said. "While someone driving the wrong way is certainly dangerous, we do not need to compound the bad decisions of others with our own. I can't think of a more common situation for law enforcement where the chance of a negative outcome is so possible."

You can read the entire article HERE.

Archive: If the bad guys hadn’t run none of this would have happened…

2011-07-05T10:48:00.002-04:00

From 2004, thoughts on the split-second decision by Jim Phillips:

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If I have heard this once I have heard it ten thousand times. While the statement is certainly true, it is far from the whole story. The decision to pursue, or not to pursue, is a complex one and fraught with many pitfalls. When police agencies say that they are “damned if they do-and damned if they don’t”- that is certainly true as well. Research has shown several important facts:

40% of pursuits end in crashes. 20% of pursuits end in personal injury. 1% ends in death. Conclusion: Police pursuit is a high-risk activity with life or death consequences.
Less that 17% of suspects flee for an underlying felony. Most suspects flee for no drivers license, no insurance, no registration, DUI, so their parents won’t find out, or like offenses. Conclusion: Your typical fleeing suspect is most probably, young, stupid or drunk-not a hardened criminal.
When police departments tighten pursuit policies there is no increase in the number of suspects who flee. Conclusion: It is the same young, stupid, or drunk suspects who flee-no matter what the policy is, rampant crime is not the result of tight policy.
When police discontinue or decline to pursue the fleeing suspects generally respond in a short distance by trying to blend in with traffic or by ditching the car and fleeing on foot. Conclusion: When police don’t chase the suspects don’t run for long and when a pursuit becomes dangerous the decision to disengage defuses the situation.

Most of the above facts fly in the face of conventional wisdom and demonstrate that police pursuits and pursuit policy require law enforcement agencies and citizens alike to think “outside the box.” Your life depends on it.

Archive: The Myth of the Split-Second Decision

2011-07-01T12:33:00.001-04:00

From 2004, thoughts on the split-second decision by Jim Phillips

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Quite often we hear that that the Pursue/No Pursue decision has to be made in a split second, and that we should allow some latitude to officers if they don’t follow policy or make poorly reasoned choices.

I can best demonstrate the fallacy of this line of reasoning by relating it to my teaching my son how to pitch in baseball. Before each pitch I taught my son to concentrate on visualizing the pitch. Curveball, fastball or change? In or away, up or down? Where was the batter likely to hit the ball if he was able to handle the pitch? What inning was it? How many outs? What was the score? What was he going to do if the batter bunted or if a base runner decided to steal? With a good baseball player there are rarely any surprises-he knows what he is going to do in virtually any situation. Courses of action dictated by the Rules of the Game, the Percentages, his Experience and by hours of Practice and all before he took a deep breath in preparation for his windup.

Good police officers do the same. Before they ever “light up” a vehicle they have already considered what they will do if the suspect vehicle does not respond appropriately:
1. Does my department’s pursuit policy permit me to pursue this suspect?
2. Are there other means of apprehension?
3. Are there any conditions present (traffic, weather, time of day etc.) that make pursuit too dangerous?
4. What is the likely outcome of the pursuit?

Life or death decisions? To be sure. Decisions made on the fly or in a split-second? Not by good, well trained officers.

The Oklahoman

2011-06-05T11:56:00.003-04:00

Mark this one down as a pursuit that got way out of hand. Last week Oklahoma City Police spotted and pursued a stolen, bright yellow SUV.

During the pursuit the suspect led police off road and through a city park. Children were playing baseball while parents were shocked at the scene playing itself out in front of them. Shortly after the pursuit exited the park a gunfight erupted between the fleeing car and police. At the end, one suspect was shot dead.

OCPD has pledged a review of the chase as it relates to the department's pursuit policy and the Police Chief has offered to meet with the concerned parents.

From the story in The Oklahoman:

John Phillips' sister died in 2001 when her car was hit by a vehicle police were chasing in Florida. Phillips operates a website, pursuitwatch.org, that tracks pursuit statistics and policies.

Phillips said officers have to be trained to recognize that their job isn't always to make an arrest. Sometimes, protecting the public means stopping a chase before it gets too dangerous, and chasing a stolen vehicle through a park where children are playing would obviously fit that category, he said.

“It's fortunate that no one else was hurt,” Phillips said. “If you continue to pursue like this and allow your officers to get in these situations, it's a matter of time before an innocent person is injured or killed.”

Further, the department adopted an updated policy in 2006 after several deadly chases. The change required a supervisor to monitor the chase over the radio and determine if the circumstances were too dangerous to continue. Of course, there are several problems with a policy like this. First, since a majority of pursuit crashes occur within the first 2 minutes of a chase, relying on a supervisor to appropriately judge the conditions in time is very difficult. Next, conditions can often chance so fast that the decision to call off a pursuit might be too late. It is best to have a clear policy that states which crimes warrant a pursuit and not rely so much on conditions and supervisor intervention.

Dayton Daily News

2011-05-26T10:29:00.003-04:00

Recently Warren County Sheriff's Sgt. Brian Dulle died during a police pursuit. Police were chasing a 22-year-old who had stolen a car when Sgt. Dulle placed stop-sticks in the path of the fleeing vehicle. The suspect went to the side of the road and struck Dulle at an estimated 100 MPH. Denise Callahan of the Dayton Daily News wrote Pursuits a necessary evil of law enforcement, officials say:

John Phillips’ sister died nine years ago when she got in the middle of a police chase. The Florida man and his family created PursuitWatch.org a website advocating restraint and offering research and other information about high speed police chases.

His family helped rewrite the protocols for police pursuits in Orlando and Orange County, Fla., so chases aren’t initiated unless the suspect is accused of a violent crime, he said.

“Their duty isn’t necessarily to arrest the bad guy, that’s not why they are hired,” Phillips said. “They are hired to protect us. To protect and serve is the motto we always hear. It’s the ability to understand that just because I don’t arrest this guy right now, doesn’t mean I’m not protecting and serving. In fact, I might actually be doing that by not chasing a bad guy.”

PursuitWatch.org exits Dark Ages, joins Twitter

2011-04-17T15:44:00.002-04:00

In what should have been done at least a year ago, PursuitWatch.org is now on Twitter.

Follow @PursuitWatch for news, updates, opinions, etc.

As for Facebook, it is recommended you Like PursuitSAFETY's page and join the group.

Two pursuits, 4 innocent lives lost

2011-04-03T18:10:00.006-04:00

Tulare County Sheriff's deputies attempted a traffic stop last week. The SUV refused to stop and deputies pursued at high speeds until the suspect stuck a car, killing a mother, father, and their 17 year-old son. From the Visalia Times Delta:

The deputy followed the SUV with lights flashing and sirens blaring, said Sheriff's Lt. Keith Douglass.

Less than two miles away, at the Akers Street intersection at Caldwell, the SUV broadsided a maroon Chevrolet Impala, killing all three occupants, police reported.

[...]

"There was a supervisor and commander monitoring the pursuit the entire time," Douglass said, in response to being asked if the pursuit was safe to continue into Visalia city limits. "It was night and there was minimal traffic."

You can read the entire story HERE. While more charges could be filed, the story identifies a parole violation potentially being the only non-chase related charge.

And in Harlington, Texas, reporter Isaac Garcia has been writing about a pursuit that lead to the death of an innocent woman.

THIS story explains the suspect was under surveillance and police observed him commiting a traffic violation. When he refused to stop, police chased. He had a gun and marijuana in the car. DETAILS are slow to emerge.

HERE Mr. Garcia explains how police have been unwilling to release their vehicular pursuit policy and further details about the chase.

He has continued to cover the story, and has another story regarding policies around the region. A few interesting quotes.

Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio said information regarding his department’s pursuit policy is not exactly public information. He said that if he released the full details of the policy, criminals might use the information to evade arrest.

FALSE. A well known policy does not mean more suspects will flee. In the year after the City of Orlando changed their policy 118 suspects fled and 40,342 obeyed the order to stop. This is despite a well known and significantly followed change.

John Phillips, founder of Pursuitwatch.org and an advocate nationwide of safer pursuit policies, said he knows all too well of the dangers in police pursuits. In 2001, Phillips said, his sister was killed in a vehicle when police were pursuing another vehicle.

Phillips said that with the help of his website, he helped rewrite some of the pursuit polices in central Florida.

Phillips said he believes that that many pursuit policies change to be more restrictive only after the death of innocent bystanders.

Mr. Garcia did confuse a few things here. I did not start PursuitWatch.org, my father did. Further, while PursuitWatch.org did help OCSO and OPD rewrite their policy, the organization's efforts were spearheaded by Jim Phillips.

5 injured in Jacksonville, FL pursuit

2011-03-15T20:44:00.003-04:00

According to the Florida Times-Union, the Jacksonville PD pursued a driver who refused to pull over for traveling with its headlights off. Stop sticks did now slow the driver, until it ran a red light and struck another vehicle. Two people in that car, including a 7-month-old, were critically injured. The driver of the fleeing car as well as two passengers were seriously hurt.

None of the 5 injured were wearing a seatbelt, including the 7-month-old.

Further, as the Times-Union provides:

Court records show [the fleeing driver] was due to go to trial next week on charges of grand theft auto and driving with a revoked license for being a habitual traffic offender.

You can read further HERE.

While it is important to catch the bad guys, and this guy certainly is given the upcoming charges, was it worth chasing and injuring two innocent citizens to catch this guy? PursuitWatch advocates for safer and smarter pursuits, and unless the fleeing driver is believed to have been involved in a violent crime, we feel it is not worth the risk to the innocent public and law enforcement.

Hartford Advocate

2011-01-11T18:33:00.002-05:00

"One High-Speed Chase, Three Police Departments, Two Spike Strips, Six Civilians With Ruined Tires, And One Nonviolent Criminal. What The Hell Happened?" is the title, and the Hartford Advocate is the publisher.

On December 31st the police pursued a driver who fled a traffic stop, and before the events concluded 6 civilians had flat tires. I spoke to Jon Campbell for awhile, and the article is a good read.

John Phillips, president of the advocacy group Pursuit Watch, has been following police pursuits nationwide since 2002, when his sister, a civilian, died during a chase in Florida. She had stopped short to avoid Stop Sticks in the road, and was struck from behind by the fleeing suspect. Phillips echoed Scott’s sentiments about the wisdom of this particular chase.

“It seems like we’re lucky no one was hurt seriously, or, much worse, killed [in the Westport chase]. In hindsight was all of that worth the effort? What we feel is that unless the suspect was thought to have committed a violent crime, then pursuit is not worth the risk to the public or the officers themselves,” says Phillips.

Between 1997 and 2007, the last year for which statistics are available, an average of 354 people were killed annually as a result of police pursuits, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The victims include not only suspects, but also police officers and innocent drivers, which make up about a third of that total. Advocacy groups say the real figures are almost certainly higher than those compiled by NHTSA, because not all departments are required to report pursuit-related fatalities.

You can read the rest HERE.

Random Links

2010-11-08T20:09:00.004-05:00

- Cheryl Cooper, mother of Christopher Cooper who was killed when he was struck by a car fleeing police in 2007, has been advocating for better officer training. You can see a rundown of blog posts mentioning Christopher HERE.

- The Roanoke Times published an editorial calling for a review of the Roanoke Police Department's pursuit policy.

Response to Reader Comment

2010-10-16T19:00:00.005-04:00

Recently, a reader of the blog responded to a post about a letter to the letter I submitted. Mr. Police Man, who runs a blog with the same name, wrote the following:

I don't mean this rude, as I understand where you are coming from, but why are you not fighting for more strict prosecution and greater sentences for the bad guys instead of going after the good guys trying to catch the bad guys for you?

That is what us on this side of the fense [sic] think. We are the guy running towards the bullets, putting our lives on the line at 10mph or 100mph. When does it ever come to the bad guy and his/her choice?

And let me state for the record that a stop sign, or speeding or broken tail light might not sound like all that important, but I've been doing this for 10 years and when I've been in a pursuit for those violations the suspect turned out to be a wanted murderer, car theft suspect, kidnapper, arson and many others. Do I go tell that family that I didn't chase the guy who just kidnapped their daughter, set her on fire and raped her because I wasn't 100% sure it was him driving the car that rolled through the stop sign? I hope this portrayes my frustrations. Take care and I look forward to more conversations.

Good post. I’d start out by pointing out that I certainly agree that there should be stronger penalties for those who flee the police. In my policy proposal for the Democratic nominee for Florida’s Governor Alex Sink I outlined a proposal to charge those who flee with at least a second degree felony instead of a 3rd degree. Our Mission Statement also argues that "fleeing and eluding should be a felony with mandatory prison time." If a fleeing criminal kills someone else I also argue they should be charged with murder, not manslaughter. After all, when you flee at dangerous speeds you know there is a very good chance you could hurt someone else.

We don't condone these poor decisions by who are usually young, dumb, males. However, we do believe that police should not compound bad decisions by criminals with risky behavior of their own. Of course this isn't saying that law enforcement doesn't have the best intentions. It just seems that sometimes law enforcement forgets that their job isn't to always catch the bad guys; rather it is to keep the public safe.

Next, you are right, a broken taillight might not sound like much but the suspect might be up to something much more serious. After all, when Ted Bundy was first arrested, he was pulled over for an invalid U-turn. He fled, police pursued and eventually arrested him. Unfortunately this in anecdotal evidence. Empirical evidence shows the most common crime committed, and assumed the reason for fleeing police, is that the car is stolen.

We simply believe that unless an occupant of the stolen vehicle has been suspected to have taken part in a violent crime that the dangers of pursuing for police officers and the innocent public do not make it worth it.

TheCopDoc Radio Show

2010-09-08T20:12:00.002-04:00

Last week I had the pleasure of appearing on Dr. Weinblatt's TheCopDoc radio show.

You can learn more about Dr. Weinblatt at his website, HERE.

Joining me on the program was Captain Travis Yates of the Tulsa PD. He is also founder of PoliceDriving.com.

The hour long show covered many topics dealing with police pursuits; from training to technology. You can listen to the entire hour HERE.

Letter to the Editor

2010-07-28T15:11:00.001-04:00

Below is a letter I sent to the editor of the Richmond Times Dispatch.

Re: In police pursuits, speed really can kill

Simply stated, the Henrico County Police Department must rethink their vehicular pursuit policy. First, it is simply not worth the risk to the officers and the public to pursue anyone who has not been suspected of committing a violent crime. We can run a license plate instantly, put a helicopter in the air in many cases, and radio to other officers in the area; all forms of technology that proves just because the initial officer does not chase does not mean the suspect will get away.

Next, police should not be concerned in making their policy public. Contrary to their argument, there is not some segment of the population waiting to hear what the policy is, and then refusing to pull over when asked now that they know they will get away. People either listen to the police, or they don’t. A vast majority of the time, those who flee are simply dumb young criminals who don’t want to go to jail, not vicious murderers. Just as important, a transparent policy can allow the department and the public to accurately evaluate if a pursuit should have occurred, and whether it was properly handled.

Unfortunately, it appears as if the Henrico County Police Department is not learning from the unnecessary death of Apostle Taylor, and it is just a matter of time before another innocent person is killed because law enforcement compounds the poor decisions of a young criminal with their own.

John Phillips

President/Director
PursuitWatch.org
Orlando, FL
321-228-9783

Policy Proposal for Florida Gubernatorial Candidate Alex Sink

2010-07-22T10:08:00.005-04:00

Through a contact I was able to submit a policy proposal to current Florida CFO, and Democratic candidate for Governor, Alex Sink. Candy Priano of PursuitSAFETY joined me on this submission. I appreciate the opportunity and while it might not lead to dramatic policy change, it is certainly useful to catch the ear of an influential public figure. Below is the proposal.

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When Sarah Phillips, a 20-year-old UCF student, was killed by a man fleeing police just outside of Orlando in 2001, and when 15-year-old Kristie Priano was killed on her way to a high school basketball game in 2002, they became two more innocent victims of police pursuits in the United States. Founded as a result of their deaths, PursuitWatch.org and PursuitSAFETY have been advocating for safe and smart police pursuits.

In regards to police pursuits, there are several important facts to take into consideration:

Nationwide, 1 officer is killed every 6 weeks, and at least 3 innocent victims are killed each week.

Officer deaths from vehicle collisions outnumber firearm related officer deaths.

Pursuits result in up to 4,000 injuries to innocent Americans each year.

From 1998-2007, at least 176 Floridians were killed during police pursuits.

88% of all chases are for non-violent crimes.

Given these statistics, we would like to make three recommendations to Alex Sink’s campaign for Governor of Florida.

Across Florida, all law enforcement agencies should be required to implement a clearly defined pursuit policy that prevents the review of a pursuit from being a guessing game. This must state what crimes warrant a pursuit, and what the proper action should be. A clearly defined policy allows officers to make the correct decision, helps in training for these situations, and for proper scrutiny and review by the chain of command to be possible.
In Florida, those who choose to flee police should be charged with at least a 2nd degree felony. Currently, those who flee are charged with a 3rd degree felony unless they show wanton disregard (2nd degree) or cause serious bodily harm (1st degree). (See Florida Statute 316.1935)
Law enforcement agencies should only pursue those who are suspected of committing a violent crime. Given the risk to peace officers and the innocent public, it is only worth the risk to pursue when there is an imminent threat to human life. It is also important to take into consideration that just because officers choose not to pursue with their vehicles thisdoes not mean the suspect gets away. The ability to use proven resources and technologies to apprehend drivers who flee does not require life-threatening behavior.

Finally, it is important to remember the financial costs (lawsuits, workers’ compensation, insurance claims). For example, a study done in St. Louis found one out of every 100 dollars spent in the police budget went to workers’ compensation claims for deaths and injuries arising from vehicular accidents. That is enough for St. Louis to employ 25 more officers.

John Phillips

President, PursuitWatch.org
321.228.9783

Candy Priano

Executive Director, PursuitSAFETY
A National Nonprofit Organization
530.343.9754

Herhold: An open letter to the governor

2010-07-19T09:35:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, in the Silicon Valley Mercury News, columnist Scott Herhold wrote an open letter to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger urging him to look closely at the California Highway Patrol's pursuit policy. Mr. Herhold's advocacy stems from a pursuit last week that lead to the death of an innocent 15-year-old.

"Given the situation, the adrenaline involved, and the need to make a very quick decision, we don't want to have more variables that could add to bad things happening,'' says John Phillips, the president of PursuitWatch.org, whose sister was killed in a law enforcement chase.

Phillips points out what other agencies have already recognized. There are other ways for officers to handle the situation. In most cases, the police can get a license plate number and arrest the bad guy later.

You can read the rest HERE.

Silicon Valley Mercury News

2010-07-15T09:02:00.003-04:00

Tuesday afternoon a man decided not to pull over when a California Highway Patrol officer attempted to stop him for a simple traffic violation. The officer pursed, and about one mile later the suspect crashed into another vehicle, killing a 15-year-old. From the Silicon Valley Mercury News:

[The suspect] has 13 arrests in the county, including multiple convictions for drug use and a prior conviction for reckless driving while evading police. He was recently released from county jail, according to court records.

This guy has fled police before, which strengthens the case for strong punishment for those who do flee, even if they do not hurt or kill anyone.

As for this pursuit, it should have never happened. Although details are still hard to come by, according to the story, the pursuit took place during the afternoon in an urban setting near San Jose State University. The pursuit lasted about 1 mile, and the suspect struck the victim's car with such force, it nearly split in two. PursuitWatch.org was quoted in this story:

"What we have here is a dumb, young criminal making another poor decision," said John Phillips, a national police-pursuit critic. "We should not compound their bad decisions with our own."

Phillips, whose sister was killed in a similar situation in 2001, said that the CHP officer should not have pursued the suspect on the basis of an illegal turn.

PursuitWatch.org, Phillips' organization, advocates pursuing only those who are suspected of committing a violent crime. This is the policy of some departments, including San Jose's.

"The officer should have notified the chain of command that the vehicle did not pull over, obtain a license plate and description if possible, and turn around and turn off his/her lights," Phillips said. "Today's technology allows us to use other methods. Just because the suspect gets out of the sight of the first officer does not mean he will get away."

You can read the rest of the story HERE.

Whittier Daily News

2010-06-28T11:22:00.002-04:00

From the Whittier Daily News in Whittier California:

Watchdog groups, such as pursuitwatch.org, cite studies that show the danger of chases.

"Research shows that approximately 40 percent of all pursuits result in a crash, 20 percent result in an injury and 1 percent result in a death," said Geoffrey Alpert, a professor of criminal justice at the University of South Carolina, during an interview with pursuitwatch.org.

Many cities do not allow police chases for car theft, according to pursuitwatch.org.

You can read the rest of the article HERE.

It's been a busy few weeks for pursuit deaths across America.

A busy few days

2010-06-24T09:57:00.003-04:00

For some reason, this last week seemed to be extremely deadly. There was the death of an innocent victim in Baldwin Park, California. In that case, the police were chasing a car thief. I argued against that chase HERE. The same newspaper published an editorial arguing for an progressive police policy.

Next, police pursued a man who was thought to be involved in a "possible disturbance" ended in his death. The Monitor in South Texas covered the story:

John Phillips heads PursuitWatch.org, a website that highlights the negative consequences of police pursuits for non-violent offenses. The website was created after Phillips’ 20-year-old sister was killed as a bystander to a police pursuit in 2001.

Despite the light traffic conditions before dawn Wednesday, officers should have broken off their pursuit of Saldivar, said Phillips.

“Law enforcement has to go on what they know, and in this case the guy was just causing a disturbance,” Phillips said. “It wasn’t worth the pursuit.”

[...]

Phillips points to written pursuit policies as a way for officers and their supervisors to know how to decide during the heat of the moment — and to know “law enforcement is properly doing their job.”

[...]

Phillips disputes the notion that the responsibility rests with the person who is fleeing.

“Let’s say he was drunk,” he said. “Chasing someone because they’re drunk only compounds bad decisions. He’s already made that decision. Let’s not compound that decision and make it even worse.”

You can read the entire story HERE.

Next, in what seems like it's straight out of Hollywood, police took part in a wild chase and sequence of events in Yakima, Washington. Police started to pursue a suspected car thief until they thought they had the situation under control a few blocks later. However, the suspect jumped a fence, broke into and stole another car, driving out of the lot and nearly running over several of the officers who had exited their cars to find the suspect. A long pursuit ensued, and it ended when the suspect crashed, killing two innocent victims. From the Yakima Herald-Republic:

John Phillips, director of the Orlando-based safe-pursuit advocacy group PursuitWatch, called judging Sunday's chase in Yakima "tricky" but said he was troubled by the duration of it.

"Seven minutes, that's too long," he said. "There's just so many opportunities for something to go wrong."

Phillips, whose 20-year-old sister was an innocent victim of a 2001 police chase, noted that more than 300 people a year are killed in police pursuits, according to statistics kept since 1982 by the Federal Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Of that number, roughly a third -- an average of 121 people since 1994 -- were innocent bystanders. They were either in a different vehicle or on foot or bike.

"My group isn't saying no pursuits at all, because there are times they are needed, and we want to see penalties increased for fleeing," he said.

"But pursuits shouldn't start out for minor felonies. It's like essentially shooting a gun into a crowded room."

But Merryman insisted that the incident at the used-car lot was not a minor felony. In addition to being charged Wednesday with two counts of first-degree murder, Kollman was also charged with two counts of first-degree assault for allegedly trying to run down officers during the escape.

"He's got the mindset of a cop killer," he said. "When do we let him go?"

It is important to note that the last point by Mr. Merryman justifies a pursuit for reasons that occurred after the pursuit was already initiated. If police didn't pursue the suspect from the start, the crazy events at the car lot wouldn't have happened. You can read the entire story HERE.

San Gabriel Valley Tribune

2010-06-22T08:41:00.004-04:00

UPDATE: The online version was changed. No word on a retraction for the print version, which I am assuming has the incorrect quote. Here is the correct quote:

"Unless the suspect has shown they don't care about human life, it's not worth it," said Phillips, whose sister was killed during a police chase in Florida.

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Yesterday evening I did a short interview for a story out of the San Gabriel Valley Tribune in California. A man had stole a car, fled police and shortly after crashed into another vehicle. The innocent driver was killed.

Unfortunately, I was misquoted.

Under what he called "progressive" guidelines, most departments wouldn't chase a car thief, especially if that person was driving recklessly, he said.

"If the suspect has shown they don't care about human life, it's not worth it," said Phillips, whose sister was killed during a police chase in Florida.

What the quote should say:

"UNLESS the suspect has shown they don't care about human life, it's not worth it."

The quote that ran in the story doesn't make sense. What PursuitWatch.org advocates is only pursuing those who have displayed they pose such harm to human life that we need to do whatever it possible to catch them ASAP.

You can read the rest of the article HERE.

KC Star: "Limit police chases and save lives now"

2010-05-10T12:47:00.003-04:00

I've often referred to the case of Christopher Cooper, the 17-year-old who was riding his bike when he was struck and killed by a man fleeing police. Barb Shelly tacked the pursuit, and the issue of Independence, Missouri, recently in the Kansas City Star:

People are killed as a result of police pursuits that have absolutely nothing to do with them.

Most times the incident that prompted the chase turns out to be much less of a threat to public safety than the pursuit.

Any other activity that routinely and violently claims the lives of innocent people would be scrutinized and restricted, if not outlawed altogether.

That’s not the case with deadly police pursuits. Lawmakers are loath to interfere with a police officer’s right to get criminals off the streets, even though most pursuits begin with traffic violations and the person who flees is rarely wanted for a violent activity.

Further, the story notes that the Independence PD, who were chasing the fleeing man, initiated 126 chases last year. In contract, nearby Kansas City, which has a significantly larger territory and force, only took part in 105 chases.

You can read the entire column HERE.

Details emerge as fleeing murder suspect kills two in Orlando

2010-04-26T10:10:00.003-04:00

According to police, Jose Antonio Maisonet-Maldonado stabbed his girlfriend and ran her over with his car. After police tracked him down, he fled. It is not quite clear how things progressed from there, but we know it ended in downtown Orlando when Maisonet-Maldonado, going 100 mph, stuck a car at a traffic signal, killing two. According to the Orlando Sentinel, he has a long list of priors.

Again, it isn't quite clear what happend from when the OCSO learned spotted Maisonet-Maldonado's and the deadly crash. Again, from the Sentinel:

Deputies later spotted the white BMW at University Boulevard and Goldenrod Road. They attempted to stop the vehicle, but Maisonet-Maldonado did not stop. Deputies said they followed him for "several minutes at normal speeds," but lost sight of the vehicle in downtown Orlando.

Orlando police said that while Sheriff's Office deputies pursued his car, a caller had reported that Alvelo's mother had received a call from Maisonet-Maldonado stating he had killed her daughter.

Shortly after deputies lost track of the BMW, it crashed into two cars that were stopped at a red light under Interstate 4 on Colonial Drive, police records show.

Under the OCSO's pursuit policy, this certainly warrants a pursuit.

Many of the charges are still pending, but Maisonet-Maldonado should NOT face vehicular homicide charges for killing the two victims in the crash. He should be charged with at least 2nd degree murder for killing Amanda Taylor and Francesca Jeffery. This is not a homicide, this is murder. Even if you are not fleeing police, if you are going 100 mph through that intersection (I happen to live 5 minutes away from the crash scene and travel through frequently), you have to know the chance that you kill someone is significant.

USA Today

2010-04-22T15:59:00.003-04:00

PursuitWatch was quoted in a USA Today story regarding departments second guessing their pursuit policies.

"The sad thing is when departments make changes, it's usually after something bad happens, and the public wakes up and says, 'What's going on here?' " says John Phillips, head of PursuitWatch.org, a non-profit group advocating safe police chases. Phillips' sister, Sarah, 20, was a bystander killed in a police chase in Orange County, Fla., in 2001.

You can read the entire piece HERE, and if you are visiting PursuitWatch because of the story, please let me know what you think.

Thursday updates

2010-04-22T10:25:00.004-04:00

First, I did an interview recently with a reporter from USA Today about police pursuits, more specifically the change in Milwaukee. I have written about the change before, and you can read that HERE and HERE. It looks like the reporter is putting together quite an extensive article, and let's hope it runs soon.

I ran across an interesting story out of St. Louis. According to the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, two SLPD officers who died in recent traffic accidents related to police pursuits were not wearing their seat belts. The Globe-Democrat noted that some officers are against wearing their seat belts because it can impede them from getting out of a patrol car quickly. It's pretty easy to disagree with that line of reasoning.

The death of the officers aside, the article was valid to include the financial considerations involved here. According to the Globe-Democrat, worker's compensation payouts are 25 percent higher when a seat belt is not worn. That is a lot. The same can be said for payouts to officer's families.

Again, the loss of life here is by far the most important consideration, but given the budgetary woes departments around the nation face today, you must also consider the financial implications of policy.

Milwaukee Policy Change, Virginia Legislation, and the BBC

2010-04-20T11:24:00.005-04:00

First, here is my editorial regarding the change of Milwaukee's policy:

Several weeks ago the Milwaukee Police Department changed its pursuit policy to where officers can only pursue if they have probable cause that a violent felony has occurred. This is a progressive step for the department.

In late 2001, my then 20-year-old sister Sarah was on her way home from the movies when she was hit and killed by a man fleeing police. Like the four victims in Milwaukee since December 31st, Sarah’s case shows just how serious the decision to pursue must be taken.

Detractors argue that this will allow the bad guys to run wild on city streets. I could not disagree more. There is not a significant portion of the population on the fence waiting to hear what the policy is. People either listen to the police when asked to pull over, or they don’t. Those who don’t are usually young, stupid, and just don’t want to go to jail. Those who disagree with the policy change also need to understand that just because the initial officer loses sight of the suspect does not mean they will get away. Modern technology allows us to run a license plate in seconds, put a helicopter in the air, or simply radio other officers in the area.

As a friend and former police officer once told me, “Sometimes police forget that their job is not to catch the bad guy, but rather it is to protect the public.” Given this policy change, the Milwaukee Police Department understands this.

This has been submitted to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Next, a Delegate in Virginia is proposing "legislation to study the introduction of statewide guidelines for high-speed chases, a proposal that was prompted by the recent death of a Richmond pastor who was killed by a vehicle fleeing Henrico County police."

You can read the article HERE. It is very early in the process, but this looks like a step in the right direction.

Finally, I ran across a BBC story from late 2007 in which I am quoted. Check that out HERE.

Milwaukee PD makes a change

2010-04-15T11:05:00.003-04:00

Several weeks ago, the Milwaukee Police Department announced changes to their department's policy. Under the new guidelines, officers must have probable cause that a violent felony has occurred, rather than just reasonable suspicion.

This represents a step in the right direction for Milwaukee. The change comes following the deaths of 4 people since December 31st.

Per usual, there were plenty of detractors. From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, union leader Bob Donovan had this to say:

So now, if a burglary suspect or drug dealer jumps in a vehicle and refuses to stop for a patrol car, he'll be able to take off and get away because the crime was not a violent felony.

I'll start by pointing out that just because officers do not pursue a suspect DOES NOT mean they will get away. We can run a license plate, put a helicopter in the air, notify surrounding units, etc. Just because the suspect gets out of the sight of the initial officer does not mean the fight has been lost.

You can read the rest of the JS article HERE.

Yesterday the Journal Sentinel followed up with an editorial supporting the change. You can read that HERE.

I have submitted an editorial to the paper supporting the change. Check back for developments.

Tennessee's HB 2907

2010-04-05T16:12:00.003-04:00

The Tennessee House Criminal Practice Subcommittee is set to take on HB 2907 this Wednesday (April 7). PursuitWatch.org opposes the bill. Here is a quick summary:

Under present law, the fact that law enforcement personnel pursue an actual or suspected violator of a law or ordinance who flees from pursuit does not render the law enforcement personnel, or the employers of the law enforcement personnel, liable for injuries to a third party proximately caused by the fleeing party unless the conduct of the law enforcement personnel was negligent and that negligence was a proximate cause of the injuries to the third party. This bill increases the measure of negligence that law enforcement personnel must engage in while pursuing a suspected violator, in order for such personnel or their employer to be liable for injuries to a third party proximately caused by the fleeing party, from ordinary negligence to gross negligence.

This bill also prohibits employers of law enforcement personnel from taking disciplinary action against law enforcement personnel for a pursuit of a fleeing suspect, unless such pursuit violated pursuit policies established by the law enforcement agency that employed such law enforcement personnel at the time of the pursuit.

For more on the Bill, click HERE.

Below is my letter to the members of the Subcommittee:

Members of the Tennessee House Criminal Practice Subcommittee,

This Wednesday (April 7), you will take on HB 2907. The Bill wishes to set the bar to which law enforcement is responsible for the negative consequences of police pursuits from “negligent and that negligence” to “grossly negligent and that gross negligence.”

PursuitWatch.org, which advocates for safer and smarter police pursuits, urges members of the Subcommittee to oppose the Bill.

While my organization understands the level of freedom law enforcement officers must be granted to protect the public, requiring the presence of gross negligence is simply too liberal of a concession.

Unfortunately, sometimes law enforcement forgets their job is not necessarily to catch the bad guy, but rather it is to protect the public. In 2001, my then 20-year-old sister was an innocent victim of a police pursuit. While the criminal who refused to stop for the police was imprisoned, our family also held comfort in knowing that the department and officers involved - whose negligence compounded a series of bad decisions by the criminal - were also held responsible for their actions.

Let me be clear: PursuitWatch.org does not wish to minimize the ability for law enforcement to complete their job. We simply feel that the passage of HB 2907 allows law enforcement to place themselves and the public in grave danger, without having to be accountable for their actions.

Regards,

John Phillips

Technology Cannot Replace a Public-Safety First Policy

2010-03-26T11:36:00.003-04:00

I wrote a piece for Candy Priano and PursuitSAFETY's Voices on the Street. Distributed on March 17, Voices on the Street is the organization's newsletter. You can subscribe HERE.

There are several factors that go into a safe policy. To begin with, officers must receive adequate training beyond the academy. The fact that officers spend a majority of time in their vehicle does not mean they have the expertise required to safely track down a fleeing suspect.

Second, all departments should have a well-defined policy that clearly states the protocol when dealing with possible pursuits. There should be no doubt in an officer’s mind as to the appropriate action to take in such a circumstance. Officers already have enough on their mind. They need to know—before they “light up” a driver—if their policy allows a pursuit should the driver decide to flee.

To read the rest of the piece, click HERE.

"Classes encourage cops to review pursuit policies"

2010-03-26T11:31:00.003-04:00

PursuitWatch was recently mentioned in an article in The Monitor of Edinburg, Texas.

There were 404 fatalities nationwide that stemmed from police pursuits in 2006, according to an analysis of government data by PursuitWatch.org, a pursuit safety advocate. Among those deaths, 133 of the victims were bystanders or occupants of uninvolved vehicles.

The piece continues:

epending on the nature of the offense — especially if no felony was committed — it may be best to cut loose the suspect, despite the officer’s desire to catch the criminal.

“Using good common sense — that’s what it boils down to,” Rodriguez said. “Once you get their license plates, let them go. We’ll get them later.”

I couldn't agree more. To read the piece, click HERE.

The Scott Fitzgerald Show

2010-02-04T11:23:00.003-05:00

This morning I was a guest on the Scott Fitzgerald Show on Raleigh N.C.'s NewsRadio 680. The interview was triggered by a pursuit yesterday in Raleigh for a stolen vehicle. Although, according to the report, the police had GPS capabilities to keep track of the fleeing vehicle on the radar, they pursued during rush hour at high speeds. Luckily, no one died.

Lasting three segments and nearly 45 minutes, I spoke with Scott about what a proper policy should be, what should have happened yesterday, what technologies are available today, and more. During the interview Scott fielded several calls from listeners. Surprisingly, a majority seemed to understand the need to have a strictly defined policy that properly weights the need to apprehend a suspect immediately and protecting the public. Others did not see it that way, yet the discussion remained civil and productive.

Thanks to Mr. Fitzgerald for having me on.

You can learn more about him and his show HERE.

I'll post a link to the audio if I can track it down...

In NSW, minimum punishments will go a long way

2010-02-02T09:55:00.003-05:00

According to The Coast News, the New South Wales government has enacted legislation that requires a jail sentence of at least 3 years and up to 5 years for those who choose to flee police, even if no one is hurt. The change in police includes:

Participate in a police pursuit while driving furiously, recklessly or at a speed or in a manner dangerous to the public – maximum jail term: three years;

Participate in a police pursuit while driving furiously, recklessly or at a speed or in a manner dangerous to the public on a second or subsequent occasion within five years of the first offence – maximum jail term: five years.

Now if someone is hurt, prosecutors a free to pursue harsher sentences, but having this tool at their disposal will undoubtedly bring how the message of how dangerous it is to flee police.

At the same time, officers still have the ability to pursue if the suspected crime warrants such. To close,

“Police pursuits are only engaged in by highly-skilled and trained officers and are subject to strict guidelines and safe driving strategies.”

It looks like NSW is doing it the right way. Proper policy, proper officer training, proper oversight, proper punishment.

Mid-North Monitor: Safety top concern during police pursuits: chief

2010-01-28T10:17:00.003-05:00

An interesting story came through my alerts yesterday from the Mid-North Monitor in Espanola, Ontario. Noting the difference between American police pursuits and the Canadian approach...

According to Towns, the approach taken by police services in Ontario is always bent toward the threat the pursuit presents to the safety of the public. This may appear to be in contrast to the American approach, which is generally more aggressive. Through extensive media attention, high-intensity, high-speed pursuits have become part of the visual vocabulary in Canadian households, but for the most part that isn't how it happens north of the border.

In fact, Ontario law states that "police are in fact only to start a pursuit if they have determined that 'there are no alternatives available as set out in the written procedures of the police force'." That is quite a difference.

You can read the rest HERE.

Innocent victim dies in Orlando... Just what happened?

2010-01-19T09:12:00.005-05:00

Update, 10:55 AM:

According to the Orlando Sentinel,

Officers said 24-year-old Kenny Zarzuela struck Spencer George Owens' car in Tuesday's crash at Lake Margaret Drive and Semoran Boulevard while fleeing from police. Owens, 42, of Orlando, died at Florida Hospital East.

Police say an officer turned on his lights upon observing Zarzuela run a red light. The suspect was driving erratically and refused to stop. The officer followed for a block or so, and when he was turning his police cruiser around, heard the sound of the collision.

Orlando Sentinel: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-crash-accident-orlando-20100119,0,6550186.story

--------------

News reports out of Orlando this morning are revealing the death of a motorist who was struck and killed by a vehicle that failed to stop at the request of the Orlando Police Department. Details are few and far between, but here is what we think we know so far:

According to the Orlando Sentinel, OPD attempted to pull over a blue escort after it ran a red light.
The escort failed to stop, and the police followed.
The suspect's car then struck the victim. Rescue crews transferred the victim to the hospital, where he/she was pronounced dead.
The suspect has been arrested. Charges have yet to be filed.
According to WESH, police noted that they did not initiate a pursuit and that the accident happened minutes after the attempted stop.

It's very early on this story, but let's stay with it until more details are released.

Sentinel: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-crash-accident-orlando-20100119,0,6550186.story
Local 6: http://www.clickorlando.com/news/22270486/detail.html
WESH: http://www.wesh.com/news/22270278/detail.html

More from Indy

2009-12-07T11:18:00.004-05:00

More details have come out from the incident/pursuit in Indianapolis last week, when the fleeing vehicle ran into a daycare center. Luckily no one was killed. From the Indy Star:

"This one I wouldn't stick on the cops," said South Carolina University Professor Geoff Alpert, a frequent critic of police chases.

John Phillips, founder of the advocacy group PursuitWatch .org, said, "I don't have any problem with what they did."

...

Phillips of PursuitWatch.org said he wondered why the police didn't "come out and say, 'Yes, we chased them, and we should have.' "

Even in jurisdictions with the strictest pursuit policies -- such as Orlando, Fla., where officers are instructed to turn off their lights and turn around if a fleeing motorist is considered nonviolent -- chasing armed robbers is justified, he said

For the rest, click HERE.

"Car crashes into Northeastside daycare"

2009-12-04T11:11:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, a fleeing Jeep clipped another car and ran, literally, through a daycare in Indianapolis. Luckily it looks like all the children who were hurt will survive, although one was injured critically. There seems to be some debate on whether it was a pursuit.

"I don't even know if this will go on the record as a police pursuit," said Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Lt. Jeff Duhamell, who said it wasn't clear whether the officer who responded ever "got within a couple hundred yards" during the three minutes that elapsed between the time the officer spotted the Jeep and when it smashed into the brick side of Stepping Stones Child Care, 2511 E. 46th St.

While the police might be hesitant to call it a pursuit, the suspects have been charged with fleeing police. I was quoted in the article in regards to departments and their policies.

Police chases that end in accidents can be a sensitive topic for police departments. Experts said with each pursuit that ends in tragedy, departments are pressured to relax their chase strategies, and many have.
"It often takes some terrible event, but more departments are making changes every year," said John Phillips, director of Pursuit watch.org, a Web site that studies police pursuit policies. "It's sad but true.

To read the entire article, click HERE.

Hot pursuit: Dashcam video fuels Rugby Road chase debate

2009-11-16T14:12:00.003-05:00

I was recently quoted in an article about a pursuit in Virginia that raised a lot of questions.

About two months after the August 7 incident, which captured widespread attention after the car’s driver somehow disappeared from a seemingly fatal wreck, a 17-year-old city student was arrested in mid-October, according to Charlottesville spokesperson Ric Barrick, who— in response to a reporter’s request— released a tape of the chase, a 112-second video in which even the police car hits 85mph on the residential road.

This is a very interesting article, and the journalism is top notch. To continue,

Despite fears that crime would explode, Orlando and Orange County, Florida, went ahead in 2004 with what may be the nation’s most restrictive ones. They limit pursuits to those involving people suspected of violent crimes.

John Phillips remembers all too well what spurred the policy.

In 2001, when he was 18 years old, his older sister was a college sophomore preparing to enter a nursing program. Sarah Phillips went out one night with three friends to a movie. After dropping off her friends, she unknowingly found herself on the same road as a police pursuit.

To read the rest, click HERE.

Officer responsible for the death of a 10-year-old bike rider gets.... One day suspension

2009-10-23T12:59:00.003-04:00

This one is frustrating:

On October 17, [Cpl. Michael] Vaughn was racing from one call to another when his squad car fatally struck 10-year-old Cole Berardi, who was riding his bicycle on a darkened portion of Belt Line Road in southeast Dallas... Cpl. Vaughn's lights and siren were not activated as required.

To continue...

The police accident report released lists speed as a contributing factor in the accident. It states that the speed of Cpl. Vaughn's vehicle ranged from 69 mph to 72 mph at the time of impact. The speed limit on that stretch of road is 40 mph.

A horrible event, but what makes this even more frustrating is the punishment for the officer.

A Dallas police officer who fatally struck a child last October received a one-day suspension during a disciplinary hearing this afternoon.

Outrageous. I don't know how this punishment could be defended.

For the rest, click HERE.

"CMPD says 23 percent of pursuits end in a wreck"

2009-06-28T18:00:00.004-04:00

From News 14 in North Carolina:

"CMPD, and any police agency, they don't initiate a pursuit. The suspect does. They refuse to stop," CMPD Deputy Chief Ken Miller said.

Grassroots watchdog organizations advocating for safer pursuit policies remain concerned. John Phillips, president of Pursuitwatch.org said the organization isn't against all police chases, but feels there should be tighter restrictions.

"Sometimes it's forgotten that the job isn't necessarily to catch the bad guy, but to protect the public," John Phillips, president of Pursuitwatch.org, said.

For the rest, including video, click HERE.

Chris Cooper's killer gets 15 years, family wants reform

2009-05-07T19:12:00.003-04:00

A PursuitWatch reader pointed out the development in the Chris Cooper story. 17 year old Chris was riding his bike while he was struck and killed by Wilfredo Pujols who was being pursuit by the Independence Police Department.

PhillipsWatch blogged about this in November of 07 when it occurred.

For more on the sentence, as well as Chris' family's goal to change the Independence Missouri's pursuit policy, click HERE.

When PursuitWatch first discussed the death of Chris, his mother Cheryl left a comment. She wrote:

Christopher Cooper is my beloved son. He was hit and killed on November 8, 2007, during a high speed police pursuit. His loss has left us devastated and struggling to find a way to justify his death. In Independence, the support from the public is for the police department, and we will have an uphill battle trying to convince them that their policy is deeply flawed. God bless you, John, for carrying on your father's work. I look at your site each day for ways in which I can bring about change in the way pursuits are conducted. Thank you for your time.
Cheryl Cooper

Danbury News Times

2009-02-23T10:51:00.004-05:00

In yesterdays edition the Danbury News Times of Danbury, Connecticut ran several stories concerning police pursuits.

First, Robert Miller asked, "Are police pursuits worth the risk?"

For those reasons, the era of the high-speed chase -- beloved by movie directors and TV cop reality shows -- is ending in many places.

"I think that's what's happening,'' said John Phillips of Orlando, Fla., who runs the Web site Pursuit Watch, which tracks police chases across the country.

"A police officer who's a friend of mine puts it this way: 'Our job isn't to arrest some guy. It's to protect the community,''' Phillips related.

Next, Brian Koonz offered his commentary.

Police pursuits in Connecticut should be forbidden for all misdemeanor charges, and all non-violent felony charges that do not involve a weapon or the probable suspicion of a weapon.

Understand, these chases are not stock footage for the next installment of "Cops" or some other reality-based police show. This is real life, where law enforcement at all costs is not always the right answer.

And finally, John Pirro discusses the pursuit of a speeding vehicle.

John Phillips, who runs the Web site PursuitWatch.org, which chronicles police pursuits in the United States, agrees. But while saying Hildebrandt's crime did not fit his punishment, Phillips could also look at the situation from the viewpoint of police officers, who "go out and put their lives at risk every day for their communities.

"Why put them in these kinds of situations?'' Phillips said of high-risk pursuits.

PursuitWatch quoted in Ottawa Citizen

2008-11-24T12:46:00.002-05:00

OTTAWA - A U.S. police pursuit watchdog organization says police should never have pursued the suspected cigarette smuggler who ended up killing a senior couple from upstate New York and himself in a violent collision after a high-speed chase on Cornwall Island Friday night.
"If someone is suspected of anything less than a violent crime, then it is not worth the risk to the officers and the public to pursue the suspect," said John Phillips, president of PursuitWatch.org, a national association of citizens and police officers that lobbies for safer police pursuits.

Read the entire piece HERE.

Monday 11/24: WFTV @ 6PM

2008-11-24T12:42:00.004-05:00

I'll be appearing as part of a story about the PIT maneuver on the Orlando ABC network, WFTV, this evening at 6 PM. Check back for more updates.

OnStar's Stolen Vehicle Slowdown Released

2008-10-13T14:48:00.004-04:00

Below is the press release for OnStar's Stolen Vehicle Slowdown technology. This is a good start, but considering it will only be an available option on a very small percentage of the vehicles out there... A smart, safe, and responsible pursuit policy must be in place in departments around the country.

OnStar Launches Stolen Vehicle Slowdown®

New technology will assist public safety officials
in OnStar stolen vehicle cases, help save lives

DETROIT (October 9, 2008, 12:01 a.m.) – General Motors (GM) and OnStar today launched Stolen Vehicle Slowdown on more than 1 million model year 2009 GM vehicles in the U.S. and Canada. Stolen Vehicle Slowdown is the latest enhancement to OnStar’s Stolen Vehicle Assistance service and enables OnStar to further help law enforcement in the recovery of subscribers’ stolen vehicles, while helping to reduce fatalities and injuries resulting from police chases. Working with law enforcement and utilizing its unique built-in technology, OnStar can remotely send a signal that interacts with the vehicle’s engine, gradually slowing it down, aiding in a safe recovery.

“No other automaker provides its’ customers the peace of mind that OnStar Stolen Vehicle Slowdown does,” said Chet Huber, OnStar president. “Our subscribers have told us they don’t want their vehicle to be the instrument of harm.”

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics show 30,000 police chases occur each year, resulting in approximately 300 deaths. Stolen Vehicle Slowdown will help take high speed pursuits out of the equation, as well as the probability that a subscriber’s stolen vehicle will be crashed during a chase.

“Prior to Stolen Vehicle Slowdown, there were only three ways to stop a police chase; the officer elects to terminate the chase, the vehicle being pursued decides to stop or in the worse case scenario there is a crash,” said David Hiller, national vice president, Fraternal Order of Police. “With OnStar Stolen Vehicle Slowdown we now have an additional and obviously far safer method. We congratulate GM and OnStar for working with law enforcement as they developed this product.”

GM will integrate the capability on more than 1 million model year 2009 vehicles through OnStar’s newest generation of hardware, Generation 8. Chevrolet, GM’s largest division, will lead the effort with over half a million Chevrolet vehicles equipped with Stolen Vehicle Slowdown.

How Stolen Vehicle Slowdown Works

Once an OnStar subscriber has reported a stolen vehicle to law enforcement, he or she can call OnStar and request Stolen Vehicle Assistance. An OnStar advisor will use advanced Global Positioning Satellite technology to pinpoint the exact location of the stolen vehicle which will be provided only to law enforcement.

Once law enforcement officials have the stolen vehicle in a clear line of sight to know conditions are safe, they can request that the OnStar advisor remotely slow it down. OnStar will then send a signal to the vehicle’s engine, reducing engine power and gradually slowing the vehicle to idle speed while all other vehicle systems remain fully operational including power steering and brakes.

Because involvement from local law enforcement agencies is key to the safe execution of Stolen Vehicle Slowdown, OnStar conducted a 25-city public safety outreach tour across the United States to familiarize the public safety community with this revolutionary service, and let them experience the technology first-hand.

Subscribers who prefer not to have the Stolen Vehicle Slowdown capability on their vehicle may contact OnStar to opt out of the service at any time. The rest of their OnStar services will remain active and unaffected.

OnStar has offered Stolen Vehicle Assistance services with GPS location since 1996. It now receives approximately 700 Stolen Vehicle Assistance requests from subscribers each month, and has helped in 38,000 requests over the past twelve years. OnStar’s suite of services also includes Automatic Crash Response, Emergency Services, Remote Door Unlock, Roadside Assistance, Crisis Assist, OnStar Turn-by-Turn Navigation, Hands Free Calling and OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics.

OnStar’s Stolen Vehicle Slowdown is available exclusively on GM vehicles in the U.S. and Canada. The service is included in the OnStar subscription that comes standard for one year on eligible MY 2009 OnStar-equipped vehicles. For more information regarding OnStar’s services, please visit www.onstar.com.

OS: After pursuit, 2 arrested in carjacking

2008-10-13T08:29:00.002-04:00

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Authorities arrested two men who carjacked an elderly man in Daytona Beach Shores on Sunday afternoon. The carjacking took place about 1 p.m. Sunday after their unsuccessful robbery attempt at a store in the same city. The men tried to flee the scene. A chase ensued on State Road 100 with Flagler County police. The men tried to make an abrupt U-turn, but their vehicle spun and was struck by a police car. The suspects were apprehended in Bunnell. The suspects have been identified as Craig William Miles, 26, of Braddock Lane in Daytona Beach, and his passenger, Jerry Edwin Royce, 53, of Holly Hill. No injuries were reported. Royce was released after deputies determined he wasn't involved in the crime. Miles is charged with fleeing and evading a police officer. Additional charges against Miles are pending, authorities said.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/volusia/orl-b3court13_108oct13,0,4243975.story

The Crookhook...

2008-09-05T13:27:00.003-04:00

I received an email a month or so ago that somehow got buried below others. Anyway, it was from someone suggesting I take a look at the Crookhook, a devise mounted on the front of police cars to latch on a suspects car which would theoretically prevent the opportunity for a suspect to flee.

You can read about Crookhook and even view a video HERE.

Our stance remains that we salute the efforts of all inventors, engineers and regular citizens that are developing methods to end police pursuits. However, hope of ending pursuits one day does not take the place of a clearly defined and safe pursuit policy.

The Huntsville Times

2008-07-27T12:37:00.003-04:00

The Huntsville Times published a story concerning the death of Darren Spurlock, an innocent bystander who left behind his wife and children age 6 and 3.

John Harriss Phillips, president of the Florida-based PursuitWatch.org, said an officer pursuing someone who has not committed a violent crime is akin to "shooting a gun in a crowded room. Sometimes, nothing will happen. Other times, you'll hit other people."

Phillips' interest in chases is personal. His sister, Sarah Phillips, died in 2001 in a crash with a fleeing vehicle in Orange County, Fla. Sarah's father, the late Jim Phillips, started PursuitWatch with the goal of pushing safer and smarter police pursuit policies. John Phillips took the helm of PursuitWatch when his father died.

"I think a lot of times, the negative perception is that if we don't pursue, the bad guys get away," Phillips told The Times by phone. Phillips questions the need for pursuit if police have a tag number or the identity of the suspect and there's no imminent danger to the public.

You can continue reading the story HERE.

PursuitWatch cited in New Zealand... I think.

2008-07-07T08:20:00.003-04:00

In an article posted on Scoop, an independent New Zealand news company, the author quotes Dr. Alpert (friend of PursuitWatch) and I think... Us:

U.S. Pursuit expert Dr Geoff Alpert notes that under twenty percent of high speed chases are triggered by major offences in some States, and 1-2% typically result in death/s in regions with lax policies (AAA Foundation report).

The reason NZ's risk may be even higher is our extremely heavy Police presence - combined with the pressure of "performance measures" to be met on each shift. Quotas have made Police bounty hunters and that has had many serious ramifications for road safety.

Restrictive chase policies don't increase anarchy

Studies consistently show pursuits involve drug or drink drivers 1/2 the time, but Pursuit Watch advises pursuing impaired drivers is unwise.

Where policies have been upgraded in the interests of public safety in the U.S.A. road carnage has decreased, and done so in the absence of any reduction in conviction rates for crimes.

For more, go HERE.

Capt. Travis Yates: Driver training and the typical police agency

2008-07-01T10:12:00.003-04:00

The following is an excerpt from an article written by Capt. Travis Yates at Policeone.com. Yates, as well as Ron Kelley are friends of PursuitWatch.org.

Deputy Ron Kelley, a member of the International Law Enforcement Educators & Trainers Association and law enforcement driving instructor says it best when he discusses the “Three C’s”.

“Just because something has not happened, doesn't mean it won't in the future. This creates three human actions. We become complacent, careless and comfortable. All three are a path to tragedy.”

Is that tragedy waiting at your agency? In seminars, I often discuss the typical police agency:

• A pursuit or emergency run ends tragic.
• The media becomes involved and looks into the issue.
• Concerned citizens express their concern.
• The pursuit policy is changed in reaction to the third party involvement.
• Driver training is implemented.

The above scenario will either sound familiar to you or one day it likely will.

Unfortunately, the scenario mentioned above tends to be the archetype for strengthening a departments pursuit policy. I would venture out to say that 90% of the media requests I get start out along the lines of, "Hi Mr. Phillips, we had an incident here in ABC when XYZ did this."

To read the entire article, click HERE.

100 mile chase... For failure to signal a lane change?!?

2008-06-24T11:02:00.003-04:00

A chase that lasted 100 miles, sometimes at speeds exceeding 100 MPH occurred last Thursday in Missouri. Commentary isn't necessary here, so I'll just post a few excerpts from the Daily Guide story...

Thursday morning was an ordinary day for Officer Derin Richardson when he noticed a Chevrolet Cavalier with two occupants, a man and a woman, that changed lanes on Interstate 44 about 10:34 a.m. without signaling near eastbound mile marker 159 and then ran off the roadway briefly. The Cavalier got off at Exit 161, turned onto Highway Z, and stopped in the parking lot of the Cenex gas station.
Richardson got out of his patrol car and began to walk toward Cavalier. Rather than providing his license and registration, the driver, later identified as Anthony Cesar Hervas, 20, of Chicago, gunned the car’s accelerator and fled.

St. Robert police have ordered stop sticks for their patrol cars, but Gettys said his department’s officers haven’t yet gone through training to use them and they can’t be used until that training takes place. Multiple efforts were made to use stop sticks to puncture Hervas’ tires but all failed until his Cavalier got several hundred yards across the Franklin County line into St. Louis County.

To continue:

While it’s no more possible to have officers train with 100 mph chases than it is to have officers experience bullets being shot past their heads, Gettys said the hundreds of hours per week spent by officers behind the wheel gives them an intensive familiarity with their vehicle and how it handles, and that can be crucial in a pursuit. “Just driving on a daily basis, their accustomed to driving,” Gettys said. “We’re officers but we’re also human beings so we’re always going to get excited, but our training prepares us for that.”

You can read the entire story HERE.

Police Pursue Seatbelt Violator in Houston

2008-06-23T10:45:00.004-04:00

Early Monday morning, the Houston Police Department began pursuing a silver, two-door car through the streets of Houston at dangerously high speeds. The offense? The driver wasn't wearing his seatbelt.

Beginning in North Houston, the chase, which lasted approximately thirty minutes, moved through the Medical Center and the Galleria area - both areas of high pedestrian traffic. At points, the driver of the silver, two-door attempted to evade police by driving on the wrong side of the road. The chase continued on surface streets for sometime before eventually moving onto the freeway. There, the driver weaved in an out of traffic and drove on the shoulder. The chase ended when the suspect swerved, barely missing another car, and careened into a guardrail.

We at PursuitWatch believe this chase to be completely unnecessary. At the time the chase was authorized, the officers thought they were pursuing a suspect for a mere seatbelt violation - hardly warranting possible harm to innocent bystanders. PursuitWatch will be watching this story closely, and we will provide more details as they become available.

Video of the pursuit can be seen here: http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou080623_ac_sloopchase.2f27177b.html

OnStar Technology Demo

2008-06-03T12:42:00.003-04:00

This Thursday I will be attending a OnStar Technology Demo to ask questions about their "Stolen Vehicle Slowdown" service. To quote the press release: "Police officers in pursuit of stolen vehicles are often faced with the risk of endangering themselves, innocent bystanders and property. OnStar-equipped vehicles involved in high-speed chases, however, can be slowed remotely, enabling law enforcement officials to apprehend fleeing criminals without risking lives or damaging other vehicles."

We will see what I learn and the true possibilities of this being an effective tool for law enforcement. I will update Thursday afternoon.

Reader responses… The negative

2008-05-06T14:28:00.004-04:00

From time to time my inbox gets hit with an email that really lets me have it. Sometimes every bad word in the book is used in order to convey just how wrong we are, how little we know what it’s like "out there", and that we take the side of the bad guys. Some are well thought out with valid concerns and opinions. Those are cherished. Here is a sample of some of the comments I have received recently. Grammar has, for the most part, been corrected.

I could care less what happens to the suspect if they die or get injured so be it who cares it is their own fault. If police are to break off all pursuits because you liberal people believe the crime doesn't warrant a chase, what do you think is going happen? Suspects are going to start to realize that the police are not going to chase them, causing more people to disrespect the law and in fact put more innocent people in harms way...

We are not a bunch of liberals. We have support from citizens and officers representing many political backgrounds. Also, we contest that ‘restrictive’ policies will lead to a criminal free-for-all. We argue that there isn’t a portion of the population on the fence waiting for the department to release their latest policy; rather, people either pull over when asked, or don’t.

How about we try to teach people to stop running from the police that way we don't have any accidents from police chases.....there is a thought.

If this family wouldn't have run from the police then we wouldn't have had this accident now would we???

I agree, but I must ask, how do we do that? So should there be a fourth element to our recommendations? (Honest question, not sarcasm)

1) Proper training
2) Progressive Policy
3) Proper oversight
4) Proper public education?

You guys are stepping away from the problem by criticizing the suspects that "they shouldn't run from the police" but the aim of this site is to focus on safer techniques beyond that point:

Instead it’s people like you that helps make police pursuits more dangerous by focusing on the past then the future. I mean somebody has got to do it. You guys have this mental block that doesn’t let you go "out of the box" on the bad guys shouldn't run quotes I am glad you guys aren't part of my police department with your "trigger happy" attitude.

This one is all over the place, but can be summarized:

“Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” – George Santayana

I would like to take a few minutes to comment on some of the ideas I have read on this website. You mention that we as citizens depend on the police to make the decision as to when to pursue or not. Have you ever attempted to make a decision in a matter of seconds concerning a possible life or death situation? It's not as easy as all make it out to be. When the police pursue someone and an accident occurs, it is automatically assumed that the police are at fault. What happens when a police officer activates his blue lights, the violator flees at a high rate of speed, the police officer stops his attempts to take the violator into custody, and a mile down the road the violator hits and kills someone? Is it still the police officers fault that the accident occurred? I think not. However, everyday an agency gets sued for its officers doing just that. It's a catch 22 for police in this country. The public wants the police to protect them and at times give their lives for them. But when something happens that they don't necessarily like the public is the first to point fingers at law enforcement. Consider your wife or child is involved in an incident where a suspect strikes their vehicle and then attempts to leave the scene. Your family member is injured in the collision. There is a witness who calls the police and gives a description of the suspect vehicle. The police get behind it, blue light it, and the vehicle flees. The police cease all law enforcement action and resume normal patrol functions. Later that night your family member dies as a result of the injuries sustained in the hit and run accident. This is a circumstance where the hit and run is a misdemeanor in most states. Therefore, a pursuit is not warranted by most policies. Your family member is dead and there is no one to answer for the crime they committed which caused the death.

In most all instances the hands of the police are tied as to what they can do in given situations. This is no more apparent than in the police pursuit aspect of law enforcement. I do not agree that all violators should be pursued. A minor traffic offense does not add up to the dangers of pursuing a vehicle. However, the person driving the car with the broken taillight that flees might be the person who just killed 10 people at a mall just because he felt like it.

No one knows what the life of a police officer is like unless they have been one. People are quick to place blame on the police rather than the criminals they are chasing.

No, I have never had to make a decision in a matter of seconds concerning a possible life or death situation. You’re right, it isn’t easy. In fact, its difficulty is what justifies a progressive police policy. You are making my argument for me and I sincerely thank you.

You mention the case where a witness gives a description of a vehicle and suspect and the police attempt to pull it over but it flees. The police are restricted from chasing. That does not mean the suspect will get away. Through the description of the witness, the potential to obtain a license plate number, and various other methods, police can still catch the bad guy. In other words, just because the suspect leaves the sight of the pursing officer does not mean the suspect gets away with the crime!

You say the “person driving the car with the broken taillight that flees might be the person who just killed 10 people at a mall just because he felt like it.” I guess that is possible. But if you accept that statement, you must also accept that the person with the broken taillight that flees might be the stupid kid who doesn’t want his parents to be mad because he just got a ticket, right?

Again, you are right that no one knows what the life of a police officer is like unless they have been one. Much the same, no one knows what it is like to have an innocent family member killed as a result of a police pursuit.

Too bad when that same guy kills those two sisters after the police end the chase, everyone is still up in arms because now the police "ENDED IT TOO SOON".

Police can never seem to please the public who can sit back and "Monday morning quarterback" the whole situation. I would like to see the average citizen doing the extraordinary tasks that these officers do, the average citizen couldn't deal with the bloodshed and anguish that police officers deal with on a daily basis. They would go insane.

These officers feel bad enough already with someone telling them they screwed up, because guess what THEY ALREADY KNOW. They were already called into the police chiefs office and scolded, trust me I have been there.

We never doubt the sincerity of police officers unless certain evidence shows otherwise. Officers who are involved in a pursuit in which one of their own or an innocent victim is killed must live with that reality. It can’t be easy. However, just because it is a hard job does not mean we accept the status quo. It does not mean we simply say, well, “It’s part of the job.” It does not mean we don’t investigate, train, critique, and strive for perfection.

What is the job of a Police Officer? Well where to start. The jobs of a police officer is what it should say, considering that the "general public" expects them to be pretty much everything. It's their job to be a counselor, a teacher, a role model for children, a parent to the children that people don’t feel like raising, a preacher, a walking target, a trained fighter, a lawyer and plenty of other things. They have the jobs that no one in the world should have to have. They have the jobs that no one else wants. Chase a drunk driver and if they crash it's the officers fault, however 1800 people a year are killed by drunk drivers that are not being chased by officers. Chase an armed suspect and crash and it's the officers fault, however 10000 people a year are killed by people we are chasing to prevent them from killing again. Let's be realistic. If a police officer dies on duty it's part of the job, if a so called "innocent person" dies while police area chasing the bad guy, it's a tragedy. Police Pursuits are dangerous, and I wish they didn’t have to take place, but letting most people go so they can hurt someone else and get away with it. That's a lot more dangerous. Let me ask the real question, "Just what is the job of a citizen?" Of course I do mean other than to hate the police instead of the bad guys. I hope I answered your question, because it is in my opinion a question that no one in their right mind should ever ask.

This one is one of my favorites. In response to my query into the job of a police officer, this reader began by offering a true answer describing the sacrifices our officers make. Then it gets a bit odd. “Chase a drunk driver and if they crash it's the officers fault, however 1800 people a year are killed by drunk drivers that are not being chased by officers. Chase an armed suspect and crash and it's the officers fault, however 10000 people a year are killed by people we are chasing to prevent them from killing again.” I have no idea where the numbers are coming from, much less what they mean. According to MADD, over 16,000 Americans died in 2004 in alcohol related automobile crashes. Is he saying that of that 16,000, 1,800 were already asked to pull over by L.E. but refused, and later killed someone or themselves? Next, I have no idea what the talk of the 10,000 that are killed that we are trying to chase… Or something like that, means.

The writer continues, wondering why anyone with their right mind should ever ask such a question. Should I not care about the safety of those officers who put their life on the line every day? Should I not ask why Deputies Donta Manuel and Jonathan Wallace had to die? Should we just accept things as they are?

Your right, it's time to do a bit of research. Everyone knows that thousands of police departments and police officers don’t know as much as a guy who went to two low rate schools for a degree in Political Science. Oh yeah wait, every officer already has one of those degrees. Do some research is right, research how many "bad guys" go to jail because of police pursuits vs. how many "good guys" get hurt. Then research how many people the "bad guys" who get caught have hurt and then do the math. You may hurt 2000 people a year in pursuits, but you save about 20000 by getting those "bad guys" off the street. Research how many college students kill people in crashes a year...maybe they just shouldn’t be allowed to drive. Better yet research many training hours police officers have, like you said, then add in the hours a year they work, then add the drive time up and then OT, plus the school time and realize that they put over 3/4 of an average lifetime towards protecting jerks who will devote their lives to criticizing their every move, but will never have the guts to go out on the streets and do what the real "good guys" do.

And last but certainly not least, we have this one. It is in response to a question I asked regarding amount of time spent vehicle training in comparison to firearm training. It was rather rhetorical question considering all departments devote more training to firearms then to driving, but nonetheless. After sifting through the grammatical errors, I paused to take it in.

“Everyone knows that thousands of police departments and police officers don’t know as much as a guy who went to two low rate schools for a degree in Political Science.”

Thanks!

I find it interesting that this gentleman tells me to go do some research all the while throwing out all sorts of numbers with absolutely nothing to back them up. I can do that too. Actually, I’ll create a Mad Lib, and you can just go back and fill in whatever numbers make you happy!

Sure police pursuits hurt ______ people a year but if they don’t chase the bad guys then _____ more people will be brutally murdered! Also, if we don’t pursue everyone then _____ more banks will be robed and _____ more cars will be stolen and the world will dip into chaos and anarchy.

I’ve come to understand that this sort of reaction comes with the territory. I remember an email Jim Phillips received from an angry officer who said that if he was on duty and came across my father and his family in dire need, he would let us die. I imagine it is easy for that officer to say such things while hiding behind a keyboard, anonymous to the world. We, however, are putting our faces out there and attempting to make the streets safe for both citizens and law enforcement.

But a majority of comments are positive and reinforcing. More on those in the days to come.

Yuma PD: On the right track

2008-05-05T12:37:00.004-04:00

More and more departments around the nation are getting on track and adopting progressive policies that take into consideration the safety of officers, the innocent public, and even fleeing suspect. I came across this editorial from the Yuma (Arizona) Sun:

The YPD's pursuit policy is 14 pages long, but can be boiled down to one basic tenet: Don't engage in a pursuit unless it is a very serious situation. Chases for misdemeanor offenses - like beer theft - or civil traffic violations are specifically prohibited.

That means there are few pursuits by Yuma police officers.

Chases are allowed for felony offenses when it is seen as necessary and there is a reasonable chance of apprehension or if there is the imminent threat of injury or death to others.

Read the entire opinion piece HERE.

Although PursuitWatch supports limiting pursuits to only violent crimes, this is a step in the right direction. We can truthfully discuss the level of felony worthy of a pursuit, but everyone ought to agree on the stupidity of pursuing for minor crimes.

Driver training stops after the academy...

2008-04-30T10:37:00.004-04:00

Our friend, Ron Kelley, was recently featured in a story by KSDK concerning police vehicle training in Illinois and Missouri.

Ron Kelley has been in law enforcement for the past 27 years and is affiliated with the Association of Law Enforcement Emergency Response Trainers and the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association. He travels the country teaching advanced driving classes to police and troopers.

"If they have not had any training since they were in the academy, Leisa, humans resort back to bad habits. They become complacent. They need to be reminded," Kelley said. "Eighty percent of their career is behind the wheel of a vehicle and operating at very high speeds. That training needs to be emphasized."

Kimberly Cochran, ISP Academy Commander, does not agree with Kelley's philosophy.

"We don't do the driving because the officers use that skill every day. They drive over 45 million miles a year and they use those skills daily," Cochran said.

Unfortunately, Kimberly Cochran isn't right. Do officers us the PIT maneuver daily? Do they deploy stop sticks daily? Do they practice proper communication and strategy of a pursuit with fellow officers daily? Exactly.

You can read the full story HERE. There is also an accompanying video.

GPS and OnStar: No exception to sound policy

2008-04-30T09:53:00.001-04:00

Last October, GM announced that 19 of its new models would be equipped with the technology, through OnStar, that would allow law enforcement to ask the engines of cars they were pursuing to be remotely shut off. The idea is that this would bring a safe and quick end to these situations. Around the same time, the LAPD was testing StarChase, a devise mounted on patrol cars that shoots a GPS tracking devise that sticks to fleeing cars. Considering Los Angeles had over 600 pursuits last year, any new testing is a welcomed idea. Both StarChase and the OnStar products use state of the art technologies which no one could have imagined years earlier would be possible. Fox News, the USA Today, and CBS News called, wanting to know what I thought about these exciting new technologies.

They asked: “Do you support these technologies?” Yes, I support all technologies that might make the job of law enforcement safer and more effective. Much like the two-way radio, helicopter, and the computer have helped police protect their communities, StarChase and OnStar might once prove as important as those previously mentioned. I understand that when an officer engages in a pursuit of a suspect, he or she is putting their life in danger every time. If these technologies make it possible for more officers to go home safe to their families every evening, then let us see if it works.

“Will it make pursuits a thing of the past?” They continued, adding “If police had this technology in 2001, would your sister still be alive?” I can answer both of these questions at once: I don’t know.

But this is what I do know, that the potential for these technological advancements does not take the place of safe and smart policy. First, the costs of these new technologies are high, and with the already incredibly stretched budgets of out nations departments, don’t expect to see devices on your local patrol cars that can shoot a GPS tracker onto a suspects car anytime soon. The StarChase technology requires the suspect vehicle to be either stopped or going very slow at a close range. What if the patrol car doesn’t get anywhere near the suspects car? Let us also not forget that this new OnStar technology will only be included on a small fraction of the vehicles out there. Chances are this wont be an option in the vast majority of situations for many years.

Some have come to me, including The Economist, wondering what I thought about the civil liberties implications of these new technologies. Could these devices be easily abused? Would this allow law enforcement to always know what I’m doing? Is this Big Brother? This is not my place to comment. However, this side of the debate shows even more so the need for clear and defined policy that lets officers know what can and can’t be done. Hopefully, a policy that clearly states the wrongs and rights of these technologies can cut down on cases that might bring civil liberties issues into question.

So, until that time, all departments should adopt a policy that requires adequate training for police officers, only pursues those who are suspected of committing violent crimes, allows for complete and painstaking review of all incidents, and makes available to the public all requested information. Until this becomes common practice, these technologies are no more than a story in the newspaper.

Fleeing suspects crash into wall in Orange County

2008-04-17T11:39:00.010-04:00

According to the Orlando Sentinel, when two men were pulled over and questioned about their potential involvement in an armed robbery, they sped off at a high rate of speed. Shortly after, the Sheriff's Department's helicopter spotted a vehicle matching the description that had crashed into a brick wall.

The men were arrested for fleeing from deputies, but investigators did not confirm if the two men were responsible for the armed robbery. The victim in that crime told deputies the robbers were wearing masks, reports show.

No word on what exactly transpired from when the suspects decided to flee till they crashed into the brick wall.

Continue to the Orlando Sentinel story HERE.

Questions remain in Snohomish County

2008-04-14T12:01:00.004-04:00

Did the officer involved in a pursuit that led to the death of the fleeing suspect, an 18 year-old high school student, use the PIT maneuver?

Was it justified in this case?

Herald Writer Jackson Holtz asked Ron Kelley, a friend of PursuitWatch, his opinion:

The PIT generally is most effective between 25 and 45 mph, said Ron Kelley, a retired police driving instructor from the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, near Orlando, Fla.

Anything slower and the car being bumped doesn't have enough force to stall out when spun around, he said. At higher speeds the results are unpredictable.

Police haven't said how fast Privrasky was driving when the deputy attempted the PIT.

Nakao said he was driving behind the chase, which was moving fast.

"It's not every day you see a police chase like that," Nakao said.

He said he saw Privrasky's car leave the road and couldn't tell whether the deputy made contact with the car.

As police reconstruct the crash, they'll likely weigh everything the deputy had to take into consideration that night before attempting the PIT, Kelley said.

While the retired deputy is careful not to second-guess the deputy's decision, questions remain unanswered.

While the pursuit started because Privrasky was speeding, it became a felony when he did not pull over for the officer and tried to flee. Sheriff's deputies are allowed to chase vehicles only when a felony has been committed.

Kelley wondered whether Privasky's initial speeding warranted the risk of using the PIT, or could there have been another option? "Could he have been identified and arrested a later time at a later place?" he asked.

Captain Travis Yates of the Tulsa PD, another friend of PursuitWatch, was also quoted:

The PIT maneuver is an effective way to stop the bad guys, said Travis Yates, a captain with the Tulsa (Okla.) Police Department who runs PoliceDriving.com.

Like any police tool, it's not without some risk to both the pursued and the police, said Yates, who is considered an expert on PIT maneuvers.

"Anytime a law enforcement action ends in a fatality, it's a tragedy on both sides," Yates said. "We have to always remember that police don't go out on the streets and intend on going on pursuits. For some reason some people decide they want to flee."

Click HERE to read the whole story...

Greensboro News Record

2008-04-11T21:47:00.003-04:00

The deaths of Linsay and Maggie Lunsford in early December are still being felt in North Carolina. The following editorial quoted Jim Phillips, founder of PursuitWatch.

Linsay Lunsford looked like she had a great future. Passionate about community service, the 18-year-old had moved to Greensboro in 2007 to attend UNCG to become an elementary school teacher. But a trip to Creedmoor on Dec. 1 to see family proved fatal. She was killed in a crash with a man fleeing from Franklinton police. The man, Guy Christopher Ayscue, high on cocaine, also was killed. So was Lunsford's nine-year-old sister, Maggie.

It's impossible to know if the sisters' deaths could have been avoided. Ayscue was being pursued because he had been driving on the wrong side of the road. Still, as Jim Phillips, the late founder of Pursuitwatch.org, said, "A drunk at 40 mph is much less dangerous than a drunk at 80 mph."

Pursuitwatch is just one of several Web sites dedicated to improving the safety of high-speed police chases. Such sites often are started, as Pursuitwatch was, by people left bereft after having an innocent family member killed as a result of a high-speed police chase. As reporter Ryan Seals' Sunday story in the News & Record pointed out, such deaths take place on a daily basis across America, with thousands injured annually because of them.

Click HERE to continue.

Teen flees, mom dies, children hurt

2008-04-08T12:20:00.003-04:00

Minneapolis - A 15 year old in a stolen car fled from police and while speeding through an intersection Sunday, slammed into a car carrying a mother, her son, and her sons friend en route to Sunday school.

Hanna Abukar, 26, of Minneapolis died at the scene, according to the Hennepin County medical examiner's office. She was driving her son and a neighbor boy to Sunday school at a mosque, said Omar Jamal, executive director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center. Abukar's son was in critical condition and the other boy was in stable condition, Jamal said.

Officers had tried to stop the teenager because of a simple traffic violation. When the boy refused, the pursuit began. Soon after, officers learned that the car they were chasing had been reported stolen. The pursuit was called off because of safety concerns about a half mile from the crash scene.

Let's hope the MPD exercises proper oversight of this incident.

Continue HERE.

The Daily Herald

2008-04-01T13:10:00.001-04:00

An article was published today in the Daily Herald of Everett, Washington featuring quotes from PursuitWatch President John Phillips. We applaud the efforts of Herald writers Jackson Holtz and Jim Haley, for stressing the importance of smart pursuit policy by contrasting two local police pursuits with radically different outcomes. We urge the readers of this blog to read the full contents of the article HERE.

Somewhat inexplicably, given the body of the article, the authors end with a quote from Seattle attorney and police pursuit expert Andy Cooley, who states that, “[a]t the end of the day, the people who die [in police pursuits] are victims of the crime, they're not victims of the police… These are crime-related, not police-related fatalities.”

Cooley is correct in stating that innocent victims of police pursuits should hold the fleeing suspect accountable; that’s not a question. We cannot, however, control the decisions of fleeing suspects. Instead, the question is: should we compound the fleeing suspect’s bad judgment with another bad decision, and elect to chase him? At PursuitWatch, we think not. We believe that, in many circumstances, these victim’s lives could have been spared if smart, progressive, police pursuit polices were in place.

Belleview News-Democrat

2008-03-17T09:55:00.003-04:00

I was asked to comment for a article in yesterday's Belleview News-Democrat concerning the use of video equipment in police cars. Illinois State Police have required troopers to activate their dashboard cameras whenever they turn on their emergency lights. If they fail to do so, they face punishment.

You can read the story HERE.

John Phillips, executive director of Florida-based PursuitWatch, which promotes safer police driving, said law enforcement agencies should post clear policies that limit high-speed chases and responses to violent crimes.

That policy must also be backed up by proper driver training and oversight, Phillips said.

Last year in Illinois, for instance, seven people died because of police pursuits: five were occupants of the chased vehicles, while two were occupants of other vehicles. None was a police-car occupant, according to administration figures.

Chase in Orlando ends in crash

2008-03-05T13:16:00.003-05:00

According to the Orlando Sentinel, the Orlando PD was involved in a chase that ended in a crash damaging the suspects vehicle and three unmarked PD vehicles. There were no injuries.

Teague, 28, was taken into custody on the following warrants: home invasion robbery with a firearm, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, kidnapping and failure to appear in court. He faces additional charges of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, felony fleeing and eluding and traffic charges for this morning's chase.

Click HERE for the OS story (with video).

Just what happened in Panama City Beach?

2008-02-21T11:48:00.003-05:00

A suspect still remains at large after a pursuit of a suspected drunk driver ended in a deadly rear-end collision, according to the Panama City News Herald.

Two of the victims sons arrived on the scene of the crash shortly after and some sort of confrontation ensued. The sons claimed a plain clothes man claiming to be a police officer, despite being told they were family members of the deceased, inappropriately assaulted the brothers and violently forced them to the ground and handcuffed them. Officers say the sons refused to identify themselves and were thus during their job in keeping the crime scene clear of outsiders.

According to the News Herald article:

[Cmdr. Michael] Moring wrote that he identified himself as a police officer and asked them who they were, but the brothers told him their identities were none of his business. Moring said he told them to identify themselves and then “physically stopped one of the unknown white males from entering the crime scene.” The second male “drew his right arm back with a balled fist as if he were about to strike me.”

A physical altercation ensued and the men, Jeff and Terry Lenz, were taken to the ground and handcuffed.

The other three officers offered similar accounts of the incident.

Watch the sons account of events:

What really took place will probably never be absolutely known. This problem just goes to show the effects of poor policy and decision making by law enforcement. A pursuit of a suspected drunk driver should never ensue, and difficult decisions soaked in tense emotions should never have to be made.

One thing is for sure, Paul Lenz in dead.

Palm Beach Post and Washington Post

2008-02-18T15:25:00.005-05:00

Interesting article from this weekends Palm Beach Post:

In the hours following the fatal Pahokee crash, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw supported the decision to follow a stolen 1990 Toyota, saying the conditions were right. The suspect and deputies wound through the Glades in the early morning hours of Nov. 28, with no bystanders at risk.

Bradshaw noted the link between violent crime and car theft. Plus, this pursuit technically wasn't a chase, he said, given deputy Greg Fernandez's speed of 55 mph moments before crashing into his two co-workers.

Yet former Sheriff Ed Bieluch says that number is way off. At least three people close to the investigation put the impact speed at 110 to 112 mph, said Bieluch, who is considering another bid for the office. The traffic investigation remains open, and officials have not released any findings.

Bradshaw: How can this not be a chase!?! Was does "technically" mean? Does technically really matter when you have two of your officers who are now dead?

Four of every 10 pursuits end in crashes, and two of every 10 end in injuries, according to research noted on the Web site pursuitwatch.org.

A 1997 study by criminology expert Geoffrey Alpert published in the National Institute of Justice's Research In Brief found that nearly half of police agencies nationwide had modified their pursuit policies during the previous two years - and that 87 percent made their guidelines more restrictive.

Continue HERE.

Also, the Officer who was involved in a deadly pileup on the Capital Beltway last May has been indicted on two counts of vehicular manslaughter. I appeared on Countdown with Keith Olberman and the Washington Post in response to this incident. You can read a transcript of the Countdown interview HERE.

The incident began about 7 p.m. May 30, when Campbell, a seven-year veteran of the department on routine patrol, began chasing a speeding motorcycle near the Richie-Marlboro exit on the Beltway's outer loop.

Campbell's police cruiser slammed into McCarter and Clanton's sport-utility vehicle. The SUV flew over the guardrail and into traffic on the Beltway's inner loop, causing a series of crashes that closed down all lanes for almost five hours.

Continue HERE.

Billings Gazette Comments

2008-02-06T12:06:00.001-05:00

Last week I wrote a post about the comments of Billings PD Training Officer Kathy Carson (You can catch up HERE). The Billings Gazette wrote a story about the situation (That you can read HERE).

There have been an interesting mix of responses. Some have noted the importance of ones choice of words, others have ripped me as someone just looking for press. In order to help clarify the situation, I will explain what happened from my end.

I came across the initial story and the accompanying video and was very concerned with Officer Carson's comment. I emailed her expressing my concern and my reasons why. I CC'd Chief St. John, the Billings Gazette, and the TV station that ran the story.

I got a response back from Officer Carson and below is it in its entirety:

I am sorry for your loss. I wish you could have heard the whole interview, unfortunately it was edited.

That's all. First, I asked her to apologize for her comment, not for my loss. I also asked for some sort of assurance that that is not the way she goes about her job. Apparently that is too much to ask.

Shortly after I got an email from Cheif St. John explaining that their department takes pursuits very seriously and thanking me for my concern. Basically, it was an A+ job by him.

I let the issue go and moved on thanks to the Chief's response.

A few days later a got a call from the Billings Gazette. The reporter asked if the situation had been solved. I told him it has, due to the Chief's email, not that of Officer Carson's one line response. He then told me that he did some research and found out she was involved in a pursuit with a fatality in '03. That opened it up again for me. Thus, I sent another email to Officer Carson telling her that I was not satisfied with her first response, and that the news that she was involved in a pursuit with a fatality bothered me even more.

She has yet to respond...

That is exactly what happened.

Long story short, none of this would have happened had Officer Carson taken my concerns seriously.

By the way, she has still yet to respond...

A few articles to read...

2008-02-06T11:15:00.001-05:00

The last week has been very busy here at PursuitWatch so I haven't had the time to post as much as I would like. So before I get all the news on here, check out these two articles:

Billings Gazette article concerning the comments of Officer Kathy Carson HERE

Florida Today article about the use of helicopters in police pursuits HERE

Letter to the Sacramento Bee

2008-01-31T13:22:00.001-05:00

On Monday afternoon, a vehicle being pursued by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department crashed violently into a car carrying a family of four in Rancho Cordova. Two children were transported to UC Davis Medical Center, while their parents were taken separately to the Mercy San Juan Medical Center, over 15 miles away. According to the Sherriff’s department, the vehicle being pursued was being chased for merely failing to yield. Although the driver of the vehicle opting to flee police custody bears the brunt of the responsibility, some of the blame for this terrible accident should be directed toward Sacramento County’s vague police pursuit policy.

Sacramento County’s current police policy allows for pursuit in almost any circumstance, stating that a pursuit is authorized when “a suspect exhibits the intention of evading arrest by using a vehicle to flee or when a suspected law violator refuses to stop.” The policy also stipulates that certain factors must be considered when determining whether any pursuit should be initiated, continued or terminated, though these factors are not well-defined. A pursuing officer and his supervisors must weigh “the seriousness of the originating crime and its relationship to community safety,” as well as factors such as location of pursuit, weather conditions, volume of traffic, and time of day.

A poorly-defined policy puts entirely too much pressure on the decision making ability of the pursuing officer and their supervisors. A police officer cannot and should not be expected to make a life or death decision on the basis of such vague legalese. The current policy is such that if an officer makes the wrong decision, and innocent people are injured or killed, the county and the officer could face endless litigation. That is not fair to our already overburdened law enforcement agencies.

The current pursuit policy further overburdens law enforcement officers by stating that “[i]t is the duty of the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle to exercise that amount of care which, under all circumstances, would not pose an unreasonable risk to others.” It continues, noting that “[t[he immediate apprehension of the violator is no more important than the safety of innocent persons or the officer(s) involved. When it becomes apparent that the immediate apprehension is outweighed by an unreasonable danger to the officer or others, the pursuit must be terminated.”

In the case of the vehicle pursuit in Rancho Cordova, the pursuing officer and his supervisors decided that the seriousness of the suspect’s crime, failure to yield, outweighed the risk involved in pursuing the suspect down a busy street in the middle of the day. Hindsight lets us see that the safest option would have been to, record the license plate number, of the fleeing vehicle, if possible, and terminate the chase. This rational response would have helped to avoid a serious accident involving an innocent family. Unfortunately, the officers involved in the pursuit didn’t have the luxury of hindsight, and were forced to make a split-second decision most likely under the influence of a great amount of adrenaline.

We at PursuitWatch.org believe that the Sacramento County Sherriff’s office must develop a progressive, well-defined policy that allows only for the active pursuit of those suspected of committing a violent crime. A properly-defined policy would take the burden of split-second decision making off of our police officers, and would result in a safer community. In Orlando, Florida, the adoption of such a policy has proven to be extremely successful. At some point, law enforcement agencies must decide whether it is more important to make an arrest, or to keep the community safe. If a well-defined pursuit policy was in place on Monday afternoon in Rancho Cordova, then an innocent family would not have been needlessly injured.

John T. Fox

Vice President
PursuitWatch.org
Orlando, FL

Billings PD's Kathy Carson: "Pursuits are always fun!"

2008-01-28T10:43:00.001-05:00

I came across an interesting article from Montana's News Station regarding recruiting police officers. You can read it HERE. Basically, it notes the shortage of police recruits and the techniques used to recruit. Shiny badges, cars, motorcycles. Dogs, guns, driving fast. Making it seem like police work is a video game. Apparently this is how you recruit police officers these days. Sure, as it is with every job, the employer must make its pitch, but what infuriated me was the following comment by Billings PD's training officer Kathy Carson:

"Pursuits are always fun! Although they're dangerous, they're very exciting."

Completely irresponsible. It is this sort of mentality and approach to police work that kills. I'd like to ask Kathy this:

Was it always fun when two Palm Beach officers were killed during a police chase when they were run over by one of the pursuing officers?

Was it always fun when an innocent 17-year-old Chris Cooper was killed while riding his bike?

Was it always fun when 404 people were killed in 2006 as a result of police pursuits? Or how about 2005, when 359 people were killed? That must have been fun.

Was it always fun when an innocent 22-year-old Steven Cornell was killed in Tampa?

There are countless officers who understand their duty and with honor and valor patrol the streets putting their life at risk to save lives. I can only hope that these poor recruiting methods don't put the wrong ideas into our law enforcement officers heads.

Introducting a new Vice President

2008-01-24T12:46:00.001-05:00

PursuitWatch.org is pleased to announce a new Vice President. John Fox, a graduate of the University of Florida, brings his background in the political process, media relations, the policy implementation process, and passion for the issues to the PursuitWatch.org team. Aside from advocating safer and smarter police pursuits, Mr. Fox will also be a regular contributor to this blog. He specializes in editorial writing, and will help the cause by campaigning in those cities and towns that need it the most. You can contact him directly at john.timothy.fox@gmail.com, or by phone at 321-277-5115.

Sacramento: 5 hurt in police chase

2008-01-22T16:11:00.001-05:00

A vehicle being pursued by police for failure to yield crashed violently into a car carrying a family of four Monday afternoon in Sacramento, California. Two children were transported to UC Davis Medical Center, while their parents were taken to the Mercy San Juan Medical Center, over 15 miles away. According to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, none of the injuries were critical, though at first glance the accident seems to be the result of a hastily-considered police pursuit. If ‘failure to yield’ was indeed the only reason for the pursuit of a vehicle on a busy Sacramento street in the middle of the afternoon, than the police department was acting in a negligent manner. We at PursuitWatch.org are concerned over this apparent lack of judgment by the Sacramento Sherriff’s Department, and will be following the story as it develops.

Read more HERE.

Written by PursuitWatch.org's John Fox

Florida Today: "2-hour chase ends in lagoon dunk"

2008-01-22T10:46:00.001-05:00

img: Amanda Stratford - Florida Today

Officers observed a man driving erratically, and ended up in a two hour long pursuit that ended with the suspects car in the Indian River Lagoon. In an interesting twist, the chase had appeared to ended, then begun again.

The chase appeared to have ended after the initial responding officer, Lt. Bert Berrios, crashed into a motorist at Jackson Avenue and South Patrick Drive while in pursuit of McCullagh. Berrios and the motorist were unharmed.

McCullagh, who had also struck a tree 15 minutes into the chase, drove off, police said. But McCullagh drove back by the accident scene about an hour later and the chase began again with new deputies in place, including the police chief, Cote said.

For more, click HERE.

Did erratic driving warrant a pursuit in this case? No.

Chase on 1-4 in Lakeland, FL (with video)

2008-01-17T11:06:00.001-05:00

Police chased and eventually arrested 5 teenagers (19, 19, 15, 16, and 18) streaming from a home burglary in Lakeland, FL. During the chase the suspects car, which wound up being stolen, sideswiped a tractor-trailer who's driver was taken to the hospital.

Source: Lakeland Ledger

The Voices Insisting on PursuitSAFETY Newsletter: Inaugural Edition

2008-01-16T11:53:00.001-05:00

Voices Insisting on PursuitSAFETY (VIPS) has released their first newsletter. Topics include OnStar, the suspension of 13 deputies in Florida, the Chris Cooper tragedy, and more. If you are not signed up to receive the newsletter, I encourage you to do so by visiting the VIPS website HERE. The sign up is down on the right.

VIPS is directed by Candy Priano of Chico, CA and has a clear and precise mission statement:

PursuitSAFETY is a national organization that joins communities, police officers, and public officials with 80,000 plus family members who have had blameless children, parents, and brothers and sisters killed or maimed when police chases spun out of control.

PursuitSAFETY's goal is to improve officer training, supervision and the law with respect to police pursuits so as to prevent innocent bystanders from being needlessly killed or maimed.

PursuitSAFETY will achieve this goal through encouraging education, research and awareness regarding police pursuits, and by sponsoring and promoting legislation designed to strike an appropriate balance between apprehending suspected criminals and public safety.

Below is the newsletter. Again, to sign up visit VIPS HERE.

HERE you can actually view an image of the newsletter that is readable.

Orlando Sentinel: Murder suspect arrested after chase on I-4

2008-01-15T15:43:00.001-05:00

According to the Orlando Sentinel, a murder suspect was arrested this morning following a chase in downtown Orlando that included parts of I-4.

The suspects exited at Colonial Drive, striking several vehicles at the exit ramp, Jones said. Both Frasilus and Knox, 26, suffered minor injuries in the crashes. "Unfortunately [Frasilus'] actions dictated what we had to do to get him into custody," Jones said.

Police captured the pair and took them into custody at Colonial and Hughey Avenue. The tan Buick they were in suffered damage to the passenger's side and was towed away from the scene after crime scene investigators examined the mess.

Read the rest of the story HERE.

2007: A deadly year for law enforcement

2008-01-14T15:34:00.001-05:00

According to a National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and the Concerns of Police Survivors study, the 186 deaths of law enforcement nationwide in 2007 is the most since 2001. Below is a breakdown of the 186 deaths, complements of the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette.

69:Number of shooting deaths in 2007, an increase from 52 in 2006.

81:Number of traffic-related deaths in 2007, an increase from 73 in 2006.

7:Officers killed this year who were woman.

39:Average age of police officers killed in the line of duty with an average of 11.4 years in law enforcement.

40:Percent of officers who were killed in felonious attacks in 2007.

60:Percent of officers who died from accidental causes.

51:Number of handguns used in the fatal officer shootings. Shotguns were used in eight.

17:Number of federal law enforcement officers who died this year, including five special agents of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations who were killed in Iraq.

It's also important to note, that aside from 2001, 2007 is the deadliest year since 1989. The number of deaths in 2001 include those lost on September 11th, thus drastically altering the total.

There are many possible explanations for the horrible number, yet one thing remains certain: Law enforcement is still a very dangerous job.

I would like to thank those of you who put your life on the line daily to protect us citizens, and ask that you understand, as PursuitWatch's introduction states:

First let me say welcome. Contrary to what some have said this is not a police-bashing site. PursuitWatch does not support the abolition of police pursuits. PursuitWatch promotes safer pursuit policy and the elimination of unnecessary pursuits. As police officers, I would ask you keep an open mind as you visit these pages. I am open to your suggestions and criticisms and PursuitWatch will publish well written and reasoned rebuttals to our positions. This should be an evolving learning process for all involved. Please remember that when the suspect flees it is you, the police officer, that we depend upon to make the critical life and death decisions that affect you, the public and even the fleeing suspect. The suspect has already made a potentially deadly decision and how you react to this situation is critical. It is at this point that we rely on your training, professionalism and expertise to make the critical judgments that determine the outcomes of these events. Sure-“If the bad guys hadn’t run this wouldn’t have happened.” What is just as true is that once the suspect flees, the police officers involved have virtually as much control of the outcomes of these events as the bad guys.

Here's to working together towards a safe 2008.

It's a new year

2008-01-02T09:11:00.001-05:00

The new year has begun, and as I try to get back in the swing of things after taking some time off, there are a few things that are worth noting:

Everyone should check out Affordable Mobile Law Enforcement Training/High Liability. Founded by Ron Kelley, its goal is to provide affordable driver training to law enforcement. They offer a wide variety of solutions understanding potential funding issues and will even help a department solicit donations.
Continuing with the training talk, HERE is a story about the correlation between the lack of training and the increased number of accidents in Maryland.
Some interesting stories have been circling the last few weeks. The Clarion Ledger has run several stories about a potential Mississippi statewide pursuit policy that will be discussed in the upcoming legislative session. HERE is their story discussing the issue, as well as their editorial opinion HERE.
I have been following and writing about the Franklinton PD and their policy after the death of two innocent sisters. They have since begun to form a panel to review their pursuit policy. Read the WRAL.com story HERE.

2007 was a productive year. PursuitWatch has continued to grow and I have some lofty goals for 2008. All the while, innocent lives continue to be lost throughout the nation. Let us get the word out the best we can... And save lives.

Apparently I'm Misleading

2007-12-19T14:41:00.001-05:00

In a blog post from a few weeks ago (that you can read HERE), I received a comment that laid it on pretty thick. I will post what he/she said, that then respond the best I can. I hope whoever wrote it, reads this.

Mr. Phillips, this article you posted by the Belleville News Democrat is misleading. The unfortunate deaths of these two girls was not the result of a police pursuit. An Illinois State Police Trooper was responding to a motor vehicle crash where there were injuries and people possibly trapped inside their crashed vehicle(s). You have also manipulated the actual story from the paper. I live in the Belleville area and am quite familiar with this tragic event. If you are going to use this article for your cause then please correct it to it's proper content as printed by the Belleville News Democrat. As it is posted on this site now it is wrong and seemingly intentionally misleading to benefit your cause. Now, please don't misinterpret my reply as a negative toward your site. I agree, to an extent, your efforts to maintain smart pursuits but at the same time I also believe if you intentionally manipulated this article you are serving no better of a cause then the reason this site was originally intended. The death of your loved one.

First, I would like to ask how I manipulated the actual story from the paper? I purposely posted only the section of the article concerning me. The reason why is that I don't want to take away from the efforts of Mike Fitzgerald and his newspaper. That is why I linked to the rest of the story, in order to encourage readers to follow it and read the whole story, thus giving credit to the Belleville News Democrat. They would much rather prefer you read their story at their site... Not mine.

Although the incident in question was not a pursuit, Mr. Fitzgerald wanted my opinion as to police vehicular training, an area I am certainly qualified to speak about. I never said a word, in the article, or the blog post in question, about police pursuits.

What Mr. Fitzgerald and I were trying to get to is that police driver training takes a backseat to firearm training, yet instances of vehicular accidents are far more common. Nothing more, nothing less...

I ask Anonymous to please respond and be more specific. Again, at no time did I misrepresent myself, the Belleville News Democrat, Mike Fitzgerald, the incident in question, or the facts of the matter.

Belleville News-Democrat Again

2007-12-19T14:30:00.001-05:00

In another article concerning the Illinois State Police, Mike Fitzgerald of the Belleville News-Democrat asks: "Can the Illinois State Police properly investigate itself?"

I had a small quote in his article, but it got the point across:

John Phillips, executive director of PursuitWatch, which promotes safer police driving, said the state police must show whenever possible that their investigation is as transparent as possible.

"They need to be willing to open up when asked," Phillips said. "They need to say, 'Absolutely, here's what we know.'"

You can read the rest of the article HERE

One they didn't publish

2007-12-11T09:27:00.001-05:00

I sent this letter to the News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) concerning a pursuit by the Franklinton PD that killed two young sisters.

Subject: Unnecessary Tragedy

In the wake of Saturday’s police chase that ended in the death of two young sisters, the Franklinton Police Department must develop a progressive, well defined policy that only pursues those suspected of committing a violent crime. Simply stated, the pursuit of someone who was observed driving dangerously should have never occurred. Was the need to apprehend this man so important that it was worth the risk to both the officer and the innocent public? No.

Currently, according to reports, the Franklinton PD allows a pursuit if a felony has occurred. In this case the felony that justified the pursuit was the suspect’s refusal to pull over. If this is their justification, then what is the purpose of having a policy at all? This way they can pursue someone who has a broken taillight or littered.

A policy that only allows a pursuit if one is suspected of a violent crime such as rape or murder properly weights the safety of the public with the need to catch the bad guys. Law enforcement must understand that a smart policy does not hinder their ability to do their job. Technologies such as helicopters, radios, video cameras, GPS, and the everyday computer ensures us that just because the pursuing officer loses sight of the suspects does not mean they will get away.

Often, police forget that their job is not to arrest people but to keep their community safe. Did they do it in this case? No.

Belleville News-Democrat

2007-12-10T08:59:00.001-05:00

Here is a story from Sunday's Belleville News Democrat in regards to police driver training.

Firearms training is a big deal for the Illinois State Police.

Which is why state troopers must go to a shooting range every three months to requalify in the use of their handguns.

But the only formal training state troopers receive in the handling of their vehicles, including high-speed pursuits and emergency responses, occurs during their days as Illinois State Police Academy cadets, according to Master Sgt. Brian Ley, a state police spokesman.

Otherwise, their driver's training occurs on their own, during the thousands of miles troopers log each year.

The failure of the state police to ensure more and better driver's education for its troopers is an all-too-familiar story that has resulted in scores of needless deaths each year nationwide, according to John Phillips, executive director of Florida-based PursuitWatch, which promotes safe driving techniques for police.

"The problem here is that in a 25-year career, an officer on average will shoot their gun once," Phillips said. "And in that same time period, 80 percent of their time on the job is spent in their car. Yet when we look at training, it's overwhelmingly in the use of their handgun."

The question of how much training police officers should receive to drive their vehicles safely has been raised following a crash along Interstate 64 near Scott Air Force Base that claimed the lives of two Collinsville sisters -- Jessica Uhl, 18, and Kelli Uhl, 13.

Continued HERE.

This also got picked up in the AP article you can read HERE.

Some thoughts on this Monday morning...

2007-12-03T11:58:00.001-05:00

I ran across some interesting thoughts this morning while over at KristiesLaw.org by retired police chief Van Blaricom. I quote:

If, for instance, officers were not held accountable for compliance with deadly force policies, does anyone doubt that we would have many more bad shootings? The fact is that police pursuits seriously injure and kill far more innocent third parties than are ever going to be placed at the risk of a police shooting. Why is that permitted? Officers are strictly prohibited from firing into a crowd, but they are routinely given the latitude to pursue a stolen car through urban streets against traffic control devices until a collision terminates the chase.

This has happened over and over again throughout the United States and will continue to occur until chief policymakers assert effective administrative control over when and how vehicular pursuits are to be conducted. Can there be any question that this is a critical public safety issue demanding attention?

It seems like one of the reasons so many restrictions are placed on the use of firearms is because it is viewed as not necessary to take that steps to catch the bad guy. In other words, shooting into a crowded room isn't worth it because, hell, if you are close enough to shoot him you can bring it to a safer end.

For some reason, when it comes to vehicle pursuits, people seem to think it is over if police do not chase suspects. I'll say it again: Just because the suspect escapes the view of the patrol car does not mean he wins. Technology such as the two way radio, helicopters, video equipment, the ability to run license plates, etc. ensure the chase is not over...

Two Palm Beach Sheriff's Officers die during pursuit of stolen car

2007-12-03T11:30:00.001-05:00

Two Palm Beach Sheriff's Officers have died following the pursuit of two men who were suspected of stealing a car.

Early Wednesday morning, police received a call from a resident saying their neighbors car was being broken into. Police responded and noticed the stolen car traveling down Route 715. After refusing to stop, a sergeant authorized the pursuit.

Two deputies, Donta Manuel and Johnathan Wallace placed stop sticks in the direction of the chase and were successful. However, when the two officers were removing the stop sticks shortly after, they were struck and killed by one of the sheriff's pursuing vehicles.

More to come as this tragedy unfolds.

Source: Orlando Sentinel

Update: 3:30 PM 11/28/07

One of the suspects is in custody. Police are still searching for a second.

Officer Manual

Officer Wallace

Still Developing...

Source: Palm Beach Post

Update: 11:30 AM 12/03/07

Details are starting to surface concerning last weeks accident in Palm Beach county. The following comes from a South Florida Sun Sentinel Article. You can read it in full HERE.

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Deputies Donta Manuel and Jonathan Wallace threw tire-deflation devices into the path of a fleeing stolen car but left a key component in the trunk, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said Thursday.

If the retrieval lanyards had been attached to the Stop Sticks, Bradshaw said, the deputies simply could have yanked the devices off State Road 715 south of Pahokee. Instead, they darted onto the highway to get them early Wednesday and were hit and killed by another deputy's cruiser.

"That decision turned out to be a fatal mistake," Bradshaw said after outlining his agency's policies on the use of Stop Sticks and police pursuits.

Police are still searching for the passenger in the fleeing vehicle.

For those who watched Fox News this evening

2007-11-27T17:08:00.002-05:00

First, I would like to thank you for visiting the site. Please leave your thoughts under this blog post or send me an email at jharrissphillips@gmail.com. It is through thoughtful discourse that we can truly find a solution. Many Thanks.

You can view a video of the story HERE.

You can also read an article concerning StarChase with quotes from Dr. Geoff Alpert HERE.

Please continue to use the valuable resources available here at PursuitWatch.org

Mmmmm... Research

2007-11-20T10:27:00.001-05:00

Post #1: The Beginning

Orange County, FL has one of the strongest and most progressive vehicle pursuit policies in the nation. A vital part of a good policy is the ability to review incidents. Whenever someone fails to pull over when asked, deputies are required to fill out a Vehicle Apprehension (V.A.) Form. This form includes, among other things, location, time, and results of the attempt to pull over the suspect.

PursuitWatch.org has begun a informative study of the V.A. forms. They can tell us a lot about the state of police pursuits in a county with a large population and a progressive pursuit policy.

This blog post will be continually updated throughout the research process with:

- Methods of study
- Results of study
- Opinions of the research process
- And anything else I can think of

...Keep checking back.

Post #2: Problems

The Orange County Sheriff's Office has been wonderful in providing me the tools to do this research. There are, however, limitations to my access to the V.A. forms.

There are literally thousands of these forms.
Before June of 2006, V.A. forms were not kept in a central location. They were housed throughout the county in various offices. However, in June of last year, the decision was made that all V.A. forms should be kept together, so all of the forms dating back to 2003, were brought to headquarters. It would take endless hours to sort these forms out. So, the only way to gage proper sample size would be to draw from the forms, starting with July of 2006 to June of 2007, the time period after the forms begun to be organized. Of these files, they are separated by month.
There is sensitive information on the forms that I cannot view. For example, if the suspect that failed to stop is a juvenile, I cannot view any of the information. Also, things like names and social security numbers of the suspects are personal data that must be blacked out. Because of this I cannot myself sort through these forms. I can only view them once they have been reviewed. Will this spoil the results. No. I am taking every necessary step to ensure an accurate sample size. I will talk more about that as the process continues.

Next, I will be talking about the sample size that I have decided to go with, and why. Again, this study will be done correctly to ensure that the findings can be stated with confidence.

...More to come.

Post #3: Maps

An essential part of the research we are tackling here deals with the location of the incidents. We would like to be able to, for example, say that a "majority" or "1/3" of these incidents occurred in this part of the county. This, however, brings up a few questions. Since it is a quantitative study of the Vehicle Apprehension Forms, a way of coding must be established. Here are a few of the ideas that are being discussed.

We can divide the county up as the OCSO does, by sectors. Below is their county map divided by sectors.
A simple glance at the map brings up a glaring problem. How can this map be used to provide accurate numbers? For example, what if our study finds that there were four times as many incidents in zone 2 then there was in zone 6? Does that mean anything? Well, first, zone 2 is much, much larger than zone 6. But, at the same time, zone 6 might have a larger population, more roads, or more traffic.

Another way of approaching the geography issue is by dividing the county up in to areas with the same amount of square miles. This also has a few drawbacks. What if one sector has almost no roads, or traffic, thus no incidents?

So the question remains, can we accurately view the results using this method? The solution might involve using both methods. Also, as is the case with any research, the methods must be accurately explained so that, as a college professor of mine would always say, "you don't become dangerous."

Another method that will be done is simply dotting the point of the incident on a map of the county. That way one can understand that makeup of the counties incidents. This, however, is not quantitative.

Pursuit in Orlando:

2007-11-19T10:29:00.001-05:00

Police pursued what they thought was a suspect in a shooting and robbery last night, finding out when the pursuit ended they were chasing the wrong man. The fleeing man was arrested on drug charges, driving with a suspended license, and felony fleeing. Police were given the description of the vehicle involved in the robbery, which matched the description of the vehicle the fled. The chase occurred around the MetroWest area of Orlando. Police are still looking for the suspect in the armed robbery.

Source: Orlando Sentinel

Three County Pursuit In Central Florida

2007-11-13T10:14:00.002-05:00

Last night, a three county pursuit in Central Florida ended when stop sticks deflated the fleeing vehicles tires, forcing him to surrender. Two men apparently robbed a fast-food restaurant at gun point, which led to the pursuit. Orlando Police initiated the pursuit. According to their policy, the pursuit was justified. HERE is a link (with video) to the Orlando Sentinel story.

Below are the violent forcible felonies that warrant pursuits by the Orlando Police Department:

1. Murder.

2. Manslaughter.

3. Armed robbery.

4. Armed sexual battery.

5. Arson to a structure reasonably believed to be occupied.

6. Use of explosive devices to a structure reasonably believed to be occupied.

7. Kidnapping

8. Armed carjacking.

9. Burglary armed with a firearm.

10. Aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon (firearm, edged weapon). Does not include a motor vehicle.

11. Aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer resulting in serious injury.

Police are still searching for a second suspect in connection with the robbery.

Independence, Mo.: Two pursuits, two deaths...

2007-11-12T17:37:00.001-05:00

Two pursuits in less than 24 hours have resulted in two deaths, one of those a 17 year-old on his bike. Christopher Cooper (above) was crossing the street when the car being chased by police stuck him. The driver is cousin to St. Louis Cardinals star Albert Pujols. More information in the two stories below.

KMBC- Kansas City

Policedriving.com

You don't need me to tell you that this is madness. It's obvious. More to come following the holiday.

PursuitWatch.org Redesign

2007-11-09T11:59:00.001-05:00

It's a work in progress, but there have been a number of changes to PursuitWatch.org's website. Most notable is the logo and color scheme change. Actually, the logo will change again soon. As for the colors, they are now streamlined with the blog, and look pretty spiffy if you ask me. Also, things have been simplified. The navigation bar on the left is more straightforward. Next, many of the articles linked on the main page have been sent to the archives, which now has more content then ever. Finally, we have a lead in page with my message to law enforcement officers visiting the site.

Again, it is still a work in progress. If you have any comments about the redesign, or anything else for that matter, please CONTACT me.

Also, I would like to thank Tina Holmes, Ben Bruner, and David Pope for their assistance. You can visit Ben's web design site HERE.

Side Note: Research on the Orange County Sheriff Office Vehicle Apprehension Forms is underway. I am taking my time on this and making sure I am taking all necessary steps to ensure validity. More on this after the holiday.

Letter to the Indy Star

2007-11-09T10:24:00.001-05:00

I sent the following letter to the Indianapolis Star in response to an incident in which a pedestrian was stuck and killed by a police officer responding to a police pursuit. You can read the Indy Star article HERE.

Here is the letter to the editor in its entirety:

I found Indianapolis police Sgt. Matthew Mount’s comment in the Nov. 4^th article about the death of a pedestrian by a police officer responding to a high speed pursuit alarming. He explained, “Frankly, somebody jumping out in front of a police vehicle—with lights and sirens activated, operating within the parameters of what he’s supposed to be doing—is something you can’t control.” Sgt. Mount is wrong. The fact is the pursuit in which the officer was responding to should have never taken place. Police should not pursue suspects unless they are believed to be involved in a violent felony. Running a red light, as was the offense in this case, is not worth the risk of pursuing to both the police officers and the innocent public.

Sure, this also wouldn’t have happened if the suspect would have stopped when asked, but should law enforcement compound a bad decision by making bad decisions of their own? Police get in trouble when they lose control of the situation, and at no time in the career of a law enforcement officer are they less in control of events then during a police pursuit.

According to the Star, the IMPD can pursue for ANY reason. This is astonishing. Law enforcement must understand that a smart policy does not hinder their ability to do their job. Technologies such as helicopters, radios, video cameras, GPS, and the everyday computer ensures us that just because the pursuing officer loses sight of the suspects does not mean they will get away.

Often, police forget that their job is not to arrest people but to keep their community safe. Did they do it in this case? No.

Some Random News

2007-11-02T11:41:00.001-04:00

First, I interviewed for the BBC this last week. I was very pleased with the questions and professionalism of the entire situation. More to come...

Next week, PursuitWatch will announce some details of an extensive study that is in the works concerning pursuit/vehicle apprehension statistics. This has been in the planning stages for some time, and is partially to blame for the several postless days on this blog. PursuitWatch hopes to bring some validity to the pursuit debate.

Check in next week for details.

Also, we are working on a site redesign. Its been several years since any layout work has been done. Look for the changes to be integrated throughout the month. Thus, if you run into any busted links or other such errors, we would love to hear about them.

All in all, it is as busy as ever around here. Many thanks to all of PursuitWatch's supporters.

Update: Motorcycylist Sought in Beltway Disaster...

2007-10-29T12:43:00.001-04:00

In late May, I appeared on Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC. The inquiry stemmed from an accident in the Washington D.C. area where 2 were killed and 15 injured.

According to reports, a motorcycle was traveling upwards of 120 mph when Officer Scott Campbell began to pursue. Only moments later, during rush hour traffic, the police cruiser collided with a SUV, setting off a chain-reaction that killed two and injured 15. According to accounts of more than 20 witnesses, the police interview, a videotape of the chase, and other evidence, Officer Campbell could be fired and even face criminal prosecution. Sources say Campbell initiated the pursuit without radioing to dispatchers, which is required by policy. He has been placed on administrative leave with pay.

The Prince George's police department pursuit policy only allows pursuits if there is probable cause to believe that the suspect was involved in the use or threat of physical force or was involved in a hit-and-run accident that resulted in death or serious injury. "The policy says that an officer's primary concern should be the prevention of life, not capturing or identifying a suspect."

Until recently, the driver of the motorcycle remained unknown. However, his passenger recently came forward and identified the driver. Police are investigating. Although his identity might be known, the driver is still at large.

Source: WTOPnews.com

Transcript of MSNBC interview: HERE

Albany Times Union Letter

2007-10-29T08:48:00.001-04:00

A letter to the editor I wrote was published in the Albany Times Union Saturday. You can follow the link HERE. Below is as it appeared:

The Albany Police Department must modernize its vehicle pursuit policy. Recently, the department apparently "strengthened" the policy by requiring officers to be vocal over the radio during pursuits in regard to the crimes committed and the situation unfolding. This change was in response to two recent vehicle pursuits that led to an innocent bystander being killed killed and another injured.

Unfortunately, officers can still pursue any violator, no matter how insignificant the violation might be. This is the wrong approach to safe police work.

Many police officers forget that their job is not to arrest people but to keep their community safe. A safer policy would allow police to pursue violators who have committed serious crimes.

No matter the training or the experience, police are not in control of the situation during a pursuit and at least 400 Americans are killed a year as a result. Just because the violator gets out of sight of the pursuing officer does not mean the bad guy got away. Technological advances such as helicopters, video cameras and computers ensure that a strict policy does not hinder law enforcement's ability to do its job.

To prevent the death of more innocent victims and law enforcement officers, Albany must adopt a policy that only pursues vehicles when it is absolutely necessary. Make the change before it is too late.

Report on 10/21 Orange County Pursuit

2007-10-25T11:02:00.001-04:00

As mentioned on a previous blog entry, the Orange County Sheriffs Office was involved in a pursuit last week in which shots were fired at a deputy. I obtained a copy of the Incident Report. Here is the story as reported by the OCSO:

First, the robbery that led to the pursuit occurred in Osceola County. Thus, I do not have detailed information until OC deputies became involved.

Officers responded to help assist Osceola deputies. Orange County deputies, knowing the direction of the pursuit, positioned themselves as necessary. Deputy Grant Meade pulled his vehicle into the southwest corner of the intersection of Americana Blvd. and Rio Grande Ave., exited his vehicle and pulled out his stop sticks.

He observed the pursuit approaching his vehicle and was about to deploy his stop sticks when he saw a flash and the sound of a bullet "wizzing" by. He then heard what appeared to be a second gunshot. The suspects vehicle then turned east onto Americana, lost control and struck the middle curb. The vehicle then wrecked at the intersection of Orange Blossom Trail and Americana Blvd. One of the suspects surrendered, while the other two escaped on foot. They were chased down and taken into custody.

All three defendants were charged with armed robbery and face other charges. Two face charges of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.

Some "Statistics"

2007-10-24T12:46:00.002-04:00

This morning I received some statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in regards to pursuit fatalities.

You can view the report HERE.

These are the from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) statistics that are often refered to. Again, as I have stressed before, the validity is questionable. Note the following:

FARS relies on self reporting by law enforcement
A report might be filed the day following a pursuit reporting no fatalities, yet a victim might die several days later.
Events might not be classified as pursuits by accident or by design.

Brief... Brief summary:

The report includes FARS statistics from 1982 to 2006 and includes a breakdown by state. In 2006, FARS reported 404 police pursuit fatalities. In 2005, 359. In 2006, California led the way with 50 pursuit fatalities, followed by Texas (39), Arizona (28), Florida (22), and Pennsylvania (20). Also, in 2006, of the 404 deaths 3 were police officers, 268 were those who were being chased, 122 were victims in another car, and 11 were pedestrians.

Heads up: 700 WLW Cincinnati Today at 1pm

2007-10-22T09:57:00.001-04:00

I'll be on Cincinnati's 700 WLW and XM Channel 173 today at 1 p.m. in regards to an incident involving a Lockland Police Officer. More information about the accident is HERE.

You can listen online HERE.

As for the events in Orange County I mentioned yesterday... No news as of this morning, but I'm working on it.

Interesting Week In Central Florida

2007-10-21T15:54:00.001-04:00

First, according to the Orlando Sentinel, three suspects who robbed a local restaurant were involved in a pursuit with Orange County deputies. An officer who was attempting to end the pursuit was shot at by the suspects.

Read the Sentinel article HERE.

Now, on to the... How should I say it... Uncertain events of last week.

The Orlando Sentinel reports that according to witnesses, a vehicle that ran a red light and struck another car and a 11 year-old student waiting to cross the street was being pursued by police.

The cruiser's police lights were flashing, although witnesses heard no sirens. According to one woman, the patrol car appeared to be traveling faster than the speed limit as it trailed the speeding Toyota.

"It looked like it was a chase to me," said Celine Gasco, 33, who was stopped in her car at the intersection when the crash took place.

Police spokeswoman Barbara Jones said the traffic investigation is ongoing and that there is no indication a chase took place. Investigators initially said the crash occurred when Thomas Duane Granados, 29, the driver of the Toyota, ran a red light. They did not mention a pursuit.

Read the Sentinel article HERE.

I'll be digging down to see what I can find out...

Introducing: Voices Insisting on Pursuit Safety

2007-10-19T10:25:00.001-04:00

Candy Priano, president of Kristieslaw.org, and mother of an innocent victim, has started Voices Insisting on PursuitSafety (or VIPS). It got off the ground in June and the goal is simple:

PursuitSAFETY's goal is to improve officer training, supervision and the law with respect to police pursuits so as to prevent innocent bystanders from being needlessly killed or maimed.

It's members and advisory board (in which I am on) consists of concerned citizens from throughout the nation. I encourage you to check out the website HERE. The group will sponsor legislation that promotes safe and smart pursuits, educate the media and the community, and speak with law enforcement as to the importance of a smart policy.

HERE is an article featuring the organization in the Chico Enterprise Record.

We have a lot of work to do. Everyday needless pursuits aren't called off.

Scott v. Harris

2007-10-16T12:49:00.001-04:00

On April 30 of this year, the Supreme Court released their decision in Scott v. Harris. The plaintiff filed suit against Deputy Scott, claiming the use of excessive force and violating the unreasonable seizure under the Fourth Amendment. Scott fled from police leading to a chase that lasted more than 10 miles, which ended when Deputy Scott stuck Scott's car. Scott lost control and crashed, rendering him a quadriplegic. The Court ruled as follows:

The car chase that respondent initiated in this case posed a substantial and immediate risk of serious physical injury to others; no reasonable jury could conclude other-wise. Scott’s attempt to terminate the chase by forcing respondent off the road was reasonable, and Scott is entitled to summary judgment. The Court of Appeals’ decision to the contrary is reversed.

You can read the ruling of the Court HERE.

Summary judgment prevents a full trial. In other words, Scott's claim is without merit. Below is a video of the event that lead to the suit. The crash occurs after the 14:16 mark on the top right.

This is not breaking news by any means, but it is important. As always, I have my opinions. But what do you think?

Send your thoughts to jharrissphillips@gmail.com

Tomorrow I will weigh in...

Letter to the Topeka Capital-Journal

2007-10-15T14:24:00.001-04:00

I wrote the following letter to the editor for the Topeka Capital-Journal in response to the article linked HERE.

I am writing in response to the Oct. 14 article (Police chases driven by rules) regarding the pursuit policy of the Topeka Police Department. Police Chief Miller says that his department will chase and apprehend those who flee, but at the same time try to do this as safely as possible. Chief Miller must understand that in order to do this, pursuits must only be justified in cases of violent crimes, not simple traffic violations or other minor crimes. The risk to the public and officers involved do not justify the need to chase these violators. After all, technological advances such as the helicopters mentioned in the article, provide law enforcement other options that insures the public that just because the fleeing vehicle runs out of the sight of the officer in chase does not mean the suspect got away.

A departments policy should be strictly defined in order to prevent knee jerk reactions by officers, although perhaps properly trained, make mistakes.

Police Capt. Ron Brown asked, "if we do terminate the pursuit, are we allowing the person driving his car at 80 to 90 mph to continue, putting the public at greater risk?" I would ask Capt. Brown the following question: Which has a greater chance to end in tragedy: One car driving recklessly at 90 mph, or that same dangerous driver followed by 5 police cars driving just as recklessly? You can do the math.

After all, the job of a police officer is not to arrest people, but protect its citizens. Unfortunately this is often forgotten, and innocent lives such as my sister Sarah's, are lost.